A Two Sided Coin
by InnocentTraitor22
Summary: They say that Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely. If this is the case than there is a girl in an upper-class residency in London England that is as crooked and twisted as any politician in Parliament; And twice as sadistic. Rated M for just about every reason A Clockwork Orange should be
1. Chapter 1

They say that Power corrupts

And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

If this is the case than there is a girl in an upper-class residency in London England that is as crooked and twisted as any politician in Parliament.

And twice as sadistic.

Her name was Patricia Van Cartier, Trisha to a select few, and on the outside she represented the best a person could be.

She was beautiful, no one would deny that, with long brown hair and a heart shaped face and almond shaped grey eyes. But the aura she gave off did little to draw in suitors; who would sit in her father's parlor in a cherry mood and wait for her, only to watch her walk down the stair case and swear that the air in the room would grow ten degrees colder.

She was polite, and well put together at all times, almost to a neurotic level. If there was a smudge on her make up or a scuff on her shoe the entire world stopped until it was fixed.

She attended all the best schools regularly, never missing a day in her life. And if one were to think on it, if asked to characterize Miss. Van Cartier the first word most would think of was cold.

Cold as Ice and doubly hard, but she never raised a hand to anyone.

She never had to.

When she was five years of age, Mrs. Imelda Van Cartier passed away of a fatal stroke and left behind her little daughter and a very rich husband.

Lewis Van Cartier, an accomplished Lawyer, search high and low for a new bride but as soon as a new woman entered the house there was Patricia, sitting in the parlor, standing at the top of the stair, or even greeting her right behind her father at the door.

Ready to offer them a drink with a cold, neat smile.

Most never came back a second time.

Since Mr. Van Cartier worked almost constantly, Patricia was in control of the house and the help. Most every maid and gardener had felt the edge of her tongue, her words never harsh or mean, but they were cold and could send a chill up your back like a winter gush in the middle of August.

And more than once a servant had been in the odd position of sitting across from a young girl of barely seventeen years old in the perfect parlor, and had been told that, sorry, we won't be needing you anymore, your last check is in the mail.

You have never felt humiliation until you have been sacked by a teenager.

Three times a week, at night or late afternoon on some days after supper, she would ensure the maids cleared the table correctly before going upstairs and locking the door for two hours exactly.

In two hours she bathed in a hot tub with sweet smelling oils, dried and applied her body powers with the large powder puff at her vanity, put her hair up in curlers and set out a new outfit for the night. Then she would apply makeup and perfumes conservatively and dress in the "special" undergarments she kept hidden away in the back of her closet that the help could not snoop into. She would take her hair from the hot curlers and style and spray as she pleased before dressing fully, unlocking the door, and going out for the night.

The car she left in never pulled up to the house, she would have a right tantrum if it did, but instead waited at the end of the block for her to come along an hop in.

There would always be a greeting, followed by a complement on her clothing. Then they would speed off into the night.

What happened when she left the confines of the neighborhood, however, is a different story all together.


	2. Chapter 2

"To the Moloko then my sweet devotchka? Or shall we make them wait for us?" The blonde, handsome, sterling youth asked over the roar of the engine. One arm was slung over the seat, with the hand resting just over her shoulder and the other hand gripped the wide black wheel tightly.

"It would be rude to make them wait." She corrected him firmly "Besides it's been a while since I've seen them, I think I'm starting to miss them."

Alex laughed, "especially ole' Georgie boy?" he teased and she rolled her eyes.

Alex and Trisha had a very…unique relationship.

They considered themselves a loving couple, and presented themselves as such to his droogs, whom Trisha referred to as his minions. However they also very openly had physical relationships with other people, due to a mutual agreement they had. Neither one liked feeling tied down to one thing, so they agreed that they would commit to one another while still sleeping with others.

Well, Alex more than Patricia but it never bothered her, after all she had had her fair share of affairs. School boys, a few grown men, and every one of Alex's droogs meanwhile Alex had common school girls he picked up, but both always ended up back together.

Patricia laughed to think of how it was before, when they had tried a conventional relationship that ended with violent arguments.

Yes this arrangement was much better.

That's not to say they didn't have limits. Alex agreed never to sleep with any of the girls in Trisha's neighborhood or school, and Trisha promised never to sleep with any members of an opposing gang as that would hurt Alex's reputation and respect from others.

"Will you be joining us for a bit of the Ultra Violence tonight then Love?" he inquired and she shrugged, "I think I just prefer to watch. It's more exciting that way." She leaned on him slightly. "To watch you work, that is." She added before he got something dirty in his mind.

They arrived at the Moloko Milk Bar where Georgie, Pete, and Dim were waiting for them.

"Viddy the sladky sharp I found brothers!" Alex hollered and opened her door like a gentleman. "Nuking of roses and cutter as always."

"George, Dim, Pete, always a pleasure." She greeted them "I hope you boys haven't caused any trouble while you were waiting." She eyed them with a playful glint and Dim chortled in his heavy way. "Nah, Alex told us to you was comin'"

"Oh did he now?" she grinned and looked at Georgie, a old –eh- Acquaintance of hers. "How's it been Georgie?" He shrugged coldly, still not fully over the time she took him to bed then threw him out, especially since she had moaned another man's name during the act.

"A'right, you?"

"Bully." She smiled a little. Before turning to the finally and youngest member. "And what of Petey huh? These hooligans haven't ran you ragged have they now."

"Oi." Alex threw his arm around her. "I take offense to that statement."

"Good." She laughed. "it'll get you in the proper mood."

"wanna cig Trisha?" Dim offered her a pack of cigarettes and she shook her head. "Not now Dim, shall we all go in then?"

"Right right, brothers." Alex nodded and they entered proudly, sitting at their usual couch. There wasn't any room for Trisha since she usually didn't enter the bar, but waited for them someplace, so she instead sat on the flood between Dim's left leg and Alex's right. The boy's got their milk but Trisha didn't feel like ruining her lipstick on the glass so she opted for one the bar's laced cigs.

They came wrapped in colored paper, a different color for a different ingredient. Trisha favored the mild purple ones herself, but she got Alex to get it for her after giving him the money. You had to be 18 to get one.

"A light for the Lady?" Georgie offered and she hovered the end of the cig over the lighter and sighed, leaning back on Dim's thigh and closing her eyes. She tried not to mind the furniture around them and instead focus on spacing out for a bit. She felt like she was floating up in the air, weightless as a feather until Alex alerted her it was time to go.

"Come, come, come, the night is still young." He pulled her up and she sighed before eyeing the cig, it was only a quarter of the way gone. "alright." She nodded and took another drag. She was never quite sure what was in these things, she suspected it was a mix of Maryjane, tobacco, and something else but she could never tell, or hardly cared.

"Where are we going now?" she asked as they walked down the streets. A few blocks away they arrived at a tunnel and Trisha snubbed out the butt on the ground with her foot. Under the bridge was a hollering drunk, or he might have been singing, it was hard to tell.

He finished his song and Alex and his gang stood before him with Trisha on the back wall, watching carefully. The boys laughed and clapped for the bum and the drunk laughed. "Can you spare some cutter me brothers?" he asked and Alex jammed the end of his cane into the man's chest, pinning him to the wall.

"Go Ahead! Do me in you coward bastards, I don't want to live in this stinking world anyway." The bum sputtered and the men laughed as Alex leaned on the chain.

"Oh? And what's so stinking about it?"

"It's a stinking world because there's no law and order any more. It's a stinking world because it lets the young get onto the old like you done. It's no world for an old man any more. What sort of a world is it at all? Men on the moon and men spinning around the earth and there's not no attention paid to earthly law and order no more." The bum ranted and Trisha sighed.

"come _on_ Alex! Snuff him already!" she demanded and the fray started like that. Dim with his chains, Alex with his cane, Pete with a club, and Georgie with his fists and feet, the old codger never had a prayer. Meanwhile Trisha had allowed a new side of her to come out, a howling, shameless, blood hungry side. She jumped up and down and clapped and cheer her boys on like a proper cheerleader until it was done and even then she didn't stop laughing.

Her mood had changed instantly, instead of stiff and frigid as she was known to be she danced around the boys, weaving between them as they cracked jokes.

They came across a casino in a bad part of town that had been abandoned for years and rested in a state of ruin. There was sounds of merriment and screams of terror coming from within and Alex grinned madly. "What's say we pay ole' Billy Boy and his goons a visit?"

Trisha tingled with excitement, there was to be a brawl. Alex felt her shiver with anticipation and ran a finger along her neck. "Would you enjoy that my malenky ptitsa?" he asked and she nodded.

"right, right then. Let's go"

They entered the casino to find Billy boy and his droogs attacking a girl. Normally Trisha would feel a twinge of disgust but at the moment she was aglow with exhilaration.

"Go find a place to watch Love, unless you want to take part."

She was tempted, but it would never do for her to have visible bruising, plus she was easily outmatched by any one of those boys. "Shive'im for me won't you?" she wished him luck and climbed up to the large extrusion on the wall and sat with the perfect view.

"Ho, ho, ho if it isn't fat, stinking, Billy goat Billy Boy in the poison" Alex called out. "how art thou? Thou globby bottle of cheap, stinking, chip oil?" That caught the group's attention and gave the girl time to run off as Alex continued. "Come and get one in the Yarbles! If you have any yarbles, you eunuch jelly thou!"

Billy drew his flip knife with a grin. "Let's get'em boys!"

So the brawl commenced, and oh was it a beauty. The droogs were outnumbered four to five but it made it interesting. At one point one of Billy's Boy had made it up where Trisha was and George took care of him immediately, tossing him down and onto a busted piano. By the end all of Billy's boys were down for the count but the droogs kept wailing on them.

Trisha paused and heard the far cries of a police car and stood up. "Boys!" she yelled and jumped down carefully. "Alex! The Police are coming!"

Alex stopped clobbering Billy and let out a shrill whistle, time to fall out. They ran, whooping for the exit and Alex had the idea of Stealing Billy's auto. A Durango 95.

Trisha had never been a fan of fast joyrides because they made her queasy, but she loved the sound of the engine going full speed so she hunkered down on the floor of the back seat while the boys yelled loudly and played chicken with the other motorists. The tires on the road going far too fast sent vibrations all through her body and she closed her eyes and felt the wind blow past them.

She had come down off her high faster than the boys had and was completely clear headed by the time they arrived at a large house in the middle of the country side.

Good she thought, I'll enjoy it more this way.

The house was a marvel, that's for sure. And Alex preformed the usual distraction to get in the house. Trisha was never to be seen at this point, she wouldn't allow it, and after all in her mind she had the most to lose in this situation should they be caught.

"A mask for the lady?" Georgie offered and she took it willingly. It was actually quite pretty, a full face white doll face with thin black eye brows and black heart shaped lips

"I think you ought to change out of your clothes Trisha, brand names tend to stick out in police identifications." Alex handled his own mask as well, a silly looking thing. "I suppose you're right, but what I am I wear, I didn't bring any clothes with me." She acknowledged.

"Well… if there's nothing to identify then…" Pete said slowly and Trisha caught on with his intentions. "You Perverts!" she half laughed, half gasped.

"Well it's not like it's anything we haven't all seen." George laughed

"No, No, out of the question." She declined.

"Ah come one, don't be a spoil sport."

she sighed. "Alex, care to weigh in?"

Alex leaned on the car and smiled. "It is…a fair point. Knickers are harder to identify than that buggaty cal you wear"

She crossed her arms, planning to play this to her advantage. "And what will you do for me if I agree?" she asked.

"Anything and Everything!" Pete yelled insistently and she shoved him lightly. "Not you… Allleeex" she sang.

Alex chortled knowing she wouldn't actually go through with it. at least he didn't think she would . "Love, if you actually robbed a domy in your neezhnies I'd sing showtunes and do a dance."

"Deal!" she accepted even though she knew he was joking, she loved it when Alex sang because he got so animated. She often told him he could be an actor

She smirked a little and looked around. "Well… it's not like I'd be totally nude. " She began to strip and the boyscheered. "oh look at that, the mask matches your knickers." Dim pointed out.

It was true, they were a pair Alex had bought for him because he thought it was funny. It was supposed to be a bridal set from a house they had robbed, a white, filmy brassier and knickers complete with lace garters. "Okay, let's go, it's cold!"

"Alex, I think I'm in love with your girl." George jibed and Alex knocked him in the leg with the cane, "Don't even joke about that Georgie boy." He warned in a cheery one as he made of the door and the other hid.

"Trisha, mask." Pete pointed out and she scrambled. "Right, sorry"

As they knelt down Trisha felt someone cup her bum and she reached around and gripped the hand hard, bending back a finger while the offender struggle not to cry out.

The lady of the house finally let Alex in and the boys charged in the house wildly. Trisha waited until they had the woman out of the entry hall before entering herself and following coolly.

She watched Georgie tackle an old man while Dim Held on to the woman and Pete checked the rest of the house. Alex hummed and before she knew it, He was actually singing. She smiled behind her mask and watched the scene unfold.

He danced about, interchanging beating the man and woman before wreaking havoc on a writing desk and book shelf. She didn't make any noise but she clapped for him and bounced on her heels. Alex grabbed a pair of scissors and turned to Trisha.

"Well sweetheart, I'm afraid this next part will be a bit boring for you. Why don't you go help out Petey?" She nodded and left the room, well aware of what was going to happen next.

But she didn't like to think about that.

She instead focus on Alex's singing and rummaging through drawers. She found the bedroom and raided the Wife's jewelry box, then moved for the next room where she found Pete already scrounging.

"I feel as though you're missing all the fun Pete." She said and he shrugged. "Never interested me much." Pete and Trisha had slept together once and it wasn't bad.

It wasn't great, but he was better than Dim. And Pete was also the only person in the gang she could see herself knowing regardless of if she has met Alex or not.

"So how's life?" she asked sincerely and he shrugged. Pete was never a man of many words it seemed, probably because he could never get a word in edge wise.

"Can't complain I guess"

She grinned and held up her hands and wrists where were draped in gold and silver. "Look what I found."

Pete glanced over and his eyes widened slightly.

"alright you two, get your clothes back on it's time to go!" Alex yelled into the hall from the main room and they ran for the door.

"What do we have my dearie?" Alex asked and she produced bother her jeweled arms, "you've never been lovelier." He grinned and pulled off his mask as they ran for the car.

They soon ditched the auto and went back to the bar for a nightcap, Trisha gave up on getting redress and just threw her coat back on over her undergarments and struggled to get her shoes on while walking . "Sorta reminds you of the first night you stayed over at the flat doesn't it?" Alex noted as she hopped along to get her shoes on and leaned on Dim.

"You know." She panted as they entered the bar and sat at a table, Trisha once more on the floor but now on the far side, leaning on Alex's shins. "You're not half as witty as you think you are."

"Still makes me twice as witty as you."

"Careful" she tutted, "I might think twice about coming home with you."

"Heh, I'd carry you." He shrugged and leaned back.

"Would you now?" she grinned and ran her finger tips up his thigh slowly. He quickly grabbed her hand and practically crushed it as he tensed up. "Don't _do_ that." He hissed and she pulled her hand away. "Why not?" she asked with a pout rubbing her hand.

He took her hand and kissed it, "Appy Polly Loggies darling, but if I let you keep at that I'd get all excited. I'd get beside myself, and then I'd take thee rather loudly and roughly right here on these two lovely ladies here." He pointed and the table and Trisha couldn't help but laugh. "Then the entire bar would notice us, we'd be asked to leave, word would get around and well what would thine dear daddums have to say about that?"

She leaned her head back in thought before smiled. "Pig!" she imitated her father and Alex to another sip of his milk plus, "oink, oink" he muttered.

The record stopped to change a moment and in the silence a blonde woman a table away burst forth with a sudden display of singing. German, it was Beethoven's Ode to Joy, from the ninth symphony. Trisha listened in awe and felt Alex's body tense and relax as it always dig in the presence of his darling "Ludwig Van".

The woman stopped and Trisha Clapped out of instinct but Dim, living up to his name, let lose a raspberry and earned a hard, cringe worthy strike across the lap with Alex's Cane.

"What did you do that for?" Dim whimpered, bent over in pain. "For being a bastard with no manners." Trish pointed out. "And not a dook of an idea how to conduct yourself publicwise, my brother" Alex added and raised a cheers to the woman.

"I don't like that you should do what you done, And I'm not your brother no more and wouldn't want to be" Dim smarted back and Trish swallowed hard as Alex turned slowly.

"Watch that… do watch that, O Dim, if to continue to be on live thou dost wish."

"Yarbles, great bolshy yarblockos to you and your ptitsa" Dim challenge "I'll meet you with chain, or nozh or britva, any time, not having you aiming tolchocks at me reasonless. It stands to reason, I won't have it!"

Alex remained still as a statue and it seemed like the entire bar had come silent just to see what would happen. Trish had slid a few feet away in just Alex decided to take him up on the offer.

"A nozh scrap any time you say" Alex agreed, seeing if Dim would live up to it. Trish didn't always understand Alex's slang but she knew enough to know what had been laid on the table.

A Knife Fight.

Dim wouldn't stand a chance.

The giant seemed to think it over a moment before leaning back in the seat.

"Doobidoob... a bit tired maybe, everybody is. A long night for growing malchicks..." He swallowed "best not to say more. Bedways is rigthways now, so best we go homeways and get a bit of spatchka. Right, right?"

"Right right" Georgie and Pete agreed and Alex smiled.

"Right right."

They prepared to leave and Trish made of the bar. "Excuse me do you have a phone I can use?" she asked and the bartender nodded pointing at a payphone in the back hall.

She dials a number and waited for the pick up. "Hello?" a tired voice answered. "Hey Da, It's Patricia."

"Patricia? Are you not home yet darling?"

"No, hey da we had a bit of auto trouble, so some friends and I have to crash at an old friend's house. I'll get a cab home and to school in the morning."

The man blustered on the other side. "Alright, but I don't want this to be a regular occurrence Patricia, you need to. "

"Alright da, love you, see you tomorrow, bye" she hung up quickly and turned to find Alex leaning on the wall behind her.

"Shall we away then?"


	3. Chapter 3

Alex's flat wasn't in the best of neighborhoods, and certainly not a place you want to be walking around at the crack of dawn.

"You sure your parents won't be awake when we get there?" she asked as they passed a mural of loin clothed men with penises spray painted on them. Alex didn't answer as he fiddled with the doors of the elevator which were jammed shut and sighed before kicking it and motion to the stairs.

"The scenic route it is then."

The flat was only a few flights up and Alex's parents were still in bed when they arrived so Trisha made a beeline for the bedroom on the off chance that they woke up. Alex arrived shortly after to find her laying across the bed with her coat off and couldn't help but pause a moment before entering.

"Comfortable?"

"Always."

He grunted and leaned toward the mirror to pull off the thick black fake eye lashes he wore on his left eye. "A wonderful night, don't you think? Real horrorshow."

"Yeah, except that part with Dim, something weird's going on with him" Trish rolled on her side and Alex shrugged. "Don't mind Dim my dear, he's…well Dim, gloopy, a dumb bastard spouting chepooka like it's Shakespeare"

He knelt down and opened a draw under his bed and pulled out a ball python, handling it with care before putting him on a tree branch sticking out of the wall.

Alex sighed and began to pull off his white suspenders, and Trish watched him carefully and thought a moment. "Alex?"

"Hm?"

"Do you know who you remind me of right at this very second?"

"Who?"

"The Marquis De Sade"

Alex paused, "Personally acquainted with him were you?"

Trish laughed, "no, not exactly. But I've studied his teachings for years." She thought. "I think you would like it. Shall I bring you some of his books?"

Alex shrugged then smirked. "I supposed I might viddy the chap's work, but only if you promise to listen to some quality music for once in your life."

"Oh Christ here we go." Trish sighed and laid back. Apparently Bach and Tchaikovsky were not good enough for the great Alexander De Large. "Tell you what. You read one of his books. And I will listen to a symphony by Beethoven."

"The ninth"

"The fifth "

"Deal"

"Oh I almost forgot. I got you something" She said suddenly and moved for her jacket. "I didn't want to give it to you in front of the boys, somethings I think can be kept private, don't you?"

"Well I say nay, I fear you won't give it to me." Alex pointed out as she dug in her coat pockets and pulled out two sheets of paper. "Well, that might be true." She handed them to him face down. "I had them done when I turned seventeen. They're called Boudoir Photos."

Alex admired the photography of his lover with appreciative grin. "Now, you know that if anyone else ever saw…" she got on her knees and slowly tousled his hair and pecked down his neck "those I would have…" she moved to his shoulder. "Kill you… you know that, right?"

"On my honor as a gentleman." He assured her and she giggled. "I'll need more than that." He set the pictures aside and turned his focus on the real thing, burying his face in her stomach "Then you have my promise as a scoundrel."

She laughed and fell back on the bed, "that, I can always trust."

He grinned and paused. "I think vidding those grazhny photos of yours has put me in just the proper mood."

Trisha hummed and stared up at him. "We don't want to wake you parents." She whispered and he smirked as he started to kiss up her stomach "If you don't creech too loudly like a dobby devotchka I don't viddy how they will." He stopped just below her breasts "Right right?"

Trish swallowed and nodded. "Quite right." Alex stood up, he wanted the moment to be perfect and the only way to do that was with some good old Ludwig Van. He quickly popped in a cassette tape and sighed as the music came on.

Perfect.

(Three hours later)

Alex awoke to a banging at the door.

"Whatdaya Want?"

"It's past eight Alex, you don't want to be late for school son." Em called from the other side and Alex propped himself up before finding his arm pinned beneath a body beside him.

"Bit of a pain of the Gulliver mum, leave us be and I'll try to sleep it off…." He grunted and slowly tried to pull his arm away without waking Trisha up. "Then I'll be right as dodgers for this after."

"You've not been to school all week son"

"Got to rest mum, got to get fit. Or else I'm liable to miss a lot more." Alex grunted slightly as Trisha murmured in her sleep and rolled over, pinning him further.

"Eh, I'll put your breakfast in the oven, I've got to be off me self now."

"Right mum, have a nice day at the factory." Alex tried rolling her over once more but gravity kept her rolling toward him.

Both the parents left for work and Alex sighed, resigning himself to more sleep and crashed back into lovely dreams of tortures and mayhem whereas Trisha was just waking up. She sat up with a yawn and looked around. She had ordered her maid to call her off sick should she not arrive home that night so that was one less thing to take care of.

She looked at Alex, noticing that he look almost angelic in his sleep, with shaggy blond curls and long lashes. She quietly eased off the bed and tossed the blanket back over him before grabbing his thrown away shirt from the night before and pulling it on.

Alex rolled over and mumbled something and she smiled a bit before kneel on his side of the bed. "Allleeex" she cooed and he grunted slightly. She read somewhere that if a person talked in their sleep they could only tell the truth.

"Are you sleeping Alex?"

"Uhhuh."

"Alex?"

"uhhuh?"

"Can I tell you something Alex?"

"Huh."

"I Love you." She state softly and he rolled over, eye fluttering open in sudden confusion.

"Trisha?"

"Yeah?" she swallowed, worried he might have been awake the whole time.

"Was I talking in my sleep?" he asked and she shook her head. "No, no I don't think so. Why?"

He sat up, "It's just I've just had the most horrorshow dream, and I heard this voice govereet overhead and it said…" he swallowed and shook his head. "Anyway."

"What did it say, Alex?"

He shrugged. "Nothing." She frowned and stood up. "I'll go make up a cuppa chai." She began to walk around the room before pausing at the foot of the bed. "Alex?" she fidgeted with her fingers and scrunched the fabric of the shirt in her hands over and over again

"Yeah?" He had rolled back over with his face in the pillow.

"You…do you…" her mouth went dry and she began to blush. "How do you take your tea?" she asked quietly.

"None for me love. But the kettle is under the sink."

"Alright." She nodded and opened the door, pausing before slipping out and sighing.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid woman" she growled and stalked toward the kitchen, putting the kettle on and pulling out a mug from the cupboard. She sat at the table and rested the head in her hands, feeling brutally conflicted.

If she told Alex the truth and he didn't want to see her again it might just kill her, but keeping silent was doing the same thing in the slowest, most painful way possible.

It wouldn't change anything for her if she confessed, she didn't want it to. Just because she said I Love You it didn't mean she wanted him to instantly settle down, stop sleeping with girls, act like a conventional boyfriend.

But she did want him to know, just to know.

The kettle began to whistle and she poured the water in the mug as the front door opened. She froze and swallowed.

"Why, hello there." A male voice greeted her with cheer and confusion. She turned around and saw a funny looking man behind her in a green suit. He vaguely reminded her of a pistachio nut.

"Uh, who are you?" she asked and he smiled. "Mr. Deltoid, a pleasure." He offered his hand and she shook it awkwardly. "I am here to see Mr. DeLarge."

"He's gone to work."

"Mr. _Alex_ DeLarge."

"Oh" she put the kettle aside and fidgeted awkwardly. "Uh, he's…he's still asleep but uh." She looked around, "I…I can wake him up."

She bolted for Alex's Room and banged on the door. "Alex! Alex!"

"The combination is…"

"There's a man here to see you Alex." She cut in. "A Mr. Deltoid."

There was a moment of silence and then bumping about before the door opened. "Come again?"

"There is a man in your kitchen, and he's asking for you…." She said slowly. "A Mr. _Deltiod_." She stared hard at him. "Alex…what. Did. You. Do?"

Alex smiled calmly, "worry not sweetie, your dear lover can handle this."

He strode into the kitchen to find it empty, then back tracked to his parent's room to find the man sitting on the bed. "Hi, hi, hi there Mr. Deltoid. Funny surprise seeing you here."

Trisha hovered behind Alex as Mr. Deltoid grinned.

"Ah, Alex boy, awake at last, yes? I met your mother on the way to work, yes? She gave me the key. She said something about a pain somewhere... hence not at school , yes?" Alex nodded.

"A rather intolerable pain in the head, brother sir. I think it should be cleared up by after lunch."

"Oh, or certainly by this evening, yes?" Deltoid clasped his hands in front of him "The evening's a great time, isn't it, Alex boy?" there was an edge in his voice and Trisha swallowed the lump in her throat. "Uh, can I get you a cup of tea sir?"

"No thank you miss." The man shook his head and Alex's hand brushed her thigh. "On second thought I'll have a cuppa the old chai darling."

She nodded and moved to the kitchen quickly, keeping an ear out for any trouble. She realized the walls were very thin, which made her wonder how it was possible that Alex's parents hadn't heard them during the dead of night.

Or if they had.

"Anything Wrong sir?"

"Wrong? Why should anything be wrong? Have you been doing something you shouldn't?"

Several things. Trisha thought but then mentally slapped her wrists. Don't be a hypocrite Trisha, she scolded herself, you were there the whole time as well, you're just as guilty as he is.

She prepared a second cup of tea and peered into the hallway, Alex had entered the room. She crept into the hall and stood just along the doorframe to listen in.

"If you've no respect for your horrible self, you might at least have some for me who has sweated over you. A Big Black Mark on us for everyone we don't reclaim. A confession of failure for every one of you who ends up in the stripey hole."

"I've been doing nothing I shouldn't sir, The Millicents have nothing on me brother, sir I mean." There was a slight rustle in the room but she didn't check to see what is was.

"Cut out all this clever talk about milicents. Just because the Police haven't picked you up lately doesn't, as you very well know, mean that you've not been up to some nastiness. There was a bit of a nastiness last night, yes. Some very extreme nastiness, yes. A few of a certain Billyboy's friends were ambulanced off late last night, yes. Your name was mentioned, the word's got thru to me by the usual channels. Certain friends of yours were named also." The man's speech picked up,

"Oh, nobody can prove anything about anybody as usual, but I'm warning you, little Alex, being a good friend to you as always, the one man in this sore and sick community who wants to save you from yourself!"

There was a sharp smacking sound and the silence as the bed squeaked and suddenly Alex stumbled forward and leaned of the doorframe.

"What gets into you all? We study the problem. We've been studying it for damn well near a century, yes, but we get no further with our studies." Deltoid asked sharply "You've got a good home here, good loving parents, some pretty little tart bouncing out there, and you've got not too bad of a brain. Is it some devil that crawls inside of you?"

"Nobody's got anything on me, brother, sir. I've been out of the rookers of the milicents for a long time now." Alex found his voice again.

"That's just worries me. A bit too long to long to be reasonable. You're about due now by my reckoning, that's why I'm warning you, little Alex, to keep your handsome young proboscis out of the dirt! Do I make myself clear?"

Alex smirked. "As an unmuddied lake, sir. Clear as an azure sky of deepest summer. You can rely on me, sir **"**

Mr. Deltoid left the flat rather quickly and as soon as he had closed the door Alex leaned on the doorframe again. "That gloopy bratchny" Alex growled and swallowed as Trisha helped him to the table. "What was that all about?"

"That, my sweet Devotchka, was Mr. Deltoid my PCA."

"Your what?"

"Post Corrective Adviser"

"Well" she slid his cup of tea across the table. "He seems like a….interesting fellow"

"So, what's on the schedule today my lovely?"

Trisha swallowed. "Alex, can I tell you something?"

"Course."

"And no matter what It won't change a thing between us" this caught Alex's interest and he sipped his tea thoughtfully. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know, I mean I don't think so. But I'm in a situation where things could go very wrong very fast if I say the wrong thing or do something dumb. And I'm afraid if I say something wrong then…well then you won't ever want to see me again and…"

Alex watched her with unreadable eyes, pale as blue ice. He had never seen her nervous before, anxious maybe, or giddy and impatient, but he had never peg her one to sputter or blush and babble like a loon. And he wondered what could possibly be plaguing her so badly that she couldn't just spit it out.

Had she slept with a member of a different gang?

Did she commit a crime and mess up and fear the police would find her?

Another thought popped into his head that made him shutter.

Please God in Heaven let it be anything but that, the dread delayed monthly that made active girls such as her nervous wrecks. They had always been careful, no matter if he tried to convince her she was always triple protected, but then again mistakes do happen.

Please god, don't let it be that.

"Alex?" she snapped him out of his daze and he blinked.

"I uh, sorry Love. I was lost in a thought."

She smiled sadly. "You always call me that. You have so many names for me… I think I will miss it." She bit her lip and Alex frowned as well.

Was she leaving him?

"Patricia." He used her full name. "What is bothering you so much?"

She pushed her mug away. "It bothers me that I love you." She spat out, "and that you do not love me as well. It bothers me that now that I have said it you will not want me around anymore because I might hold you down. It started off as just sex but I'm afraid it means a good deal more than that to me now, But in any case I love you Alex and I just want you to know that…"

Alex froze, he waited a moment in silence and she stared at him before standing up. "I suppose I had better go now. Da'll be worried." She made for the bedroom but she stopped as Alex's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist and pulling her back and into the chair with him on his lap

"You said you Love me, but you don't want anything to change between us." He began. "Why then do you think I would want you to leave?" she looked down at him and sputtered before going silent.

"So?" she prompted.

"So what?" he shrugged and her face grew red.

"So what? I just told you I love you and you come back with so what?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know!" she jumped up. "Say I'm crazy! Tell me it couldn't never happen because you don't like being tied down! Say you don't feel the same way or better yet say that you love me to! Just for Christ sake say something or I might go mad!"

Alex watched her pace back and forth, her face flushed and her body jerky.

"Why would you go bezoomy my dear?" he smiled coyly and she scream quietly into her hands.

"Because I love you god damn you! I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you! How many times do I have to say it before you understand?"

Alex stood up with a jolly smile on his face, grabbed her cheek in his palm and kissed her firmly. Long and slow until he pulled away to see her confused eyes staring up at him.

"I understand perfectly Trisha, I just enjoy hearing you govereet those words."

She stared at him before laughing and throwing her arms around his neck. "I love you, you sweet, sadistic man , I love you, I love you, I love you." She let him go and sighed, "And I don't care if you don't feel the same, I just needed you to know."

He frowned a little, "Well if you don't care whether or not I feel the same than I viddy no reason for me to prod a reply."

She paused. "What?"

"Too late now sweetie." He began to walk down the hall, smirking insufferably.

"Wait, stop, come back! Come back!" she laughed and ran after him, catching him in the doorway of his bedroom, hugging him from behind and burying her face in between his shoulders "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Please, say whatever you want."

He turned and sighed, "well then, you should know you're the most bezoomy devotchka in the entire sodding empire,"

"I know"

"You're too sarky and too oomny for your own damn good."

"I don't care" she mumbled into his chest

"I don't plan on changing for no body, no how, pony?"

She smiled and pressed into him harder. "I promise I won't want you to change." She assured him, "I swear I won't."

"And…I love you to."


	4. Chapter 4

**A big thanks to a guest reviewer who took the time to read and review! and to answer your question yes I plan on taking this post-Ludovico. Thank s for the review and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

After a quick roll in the hay, Alex and Patricia decided to hit the town separately. Alex to spy some tail and Patricia to run up her father's credit card. "Back to your mesto at three then?" she asked and Alex adjusted his flamboyant purple coat in the mirror.

"On the nosey" He turned and tweaked the tip of her nose with a playful smile.

"I won't be late" she assured him and pulled on her coat and peck him on the cheek, "behave."

"Never"

She slipped out and called a cab from a payphone and got a ride to the shopping district. She was in the perfect mood, and the only thing to make it better was a shopping spree.

"Trisha?" she turned and spotted a spry young ginger waving at her, "Talia!" she waved her over.

Talia was a former fling of Alex's, but she couldn't keep up with him so they parted on good terms. Her mother then got a job at the Van Cartier house as a gardener and Talia and Trisha became Lovers. However it turned out to be a bi curious phase for the young red head but they remained friends. It was actually though Talia that Alex and Trisha met.

She was a nice looking lass in her twenties, with frizzy red hair cut into a bob and heavily lidded black eyes that popped against her pale Irish skin.

"How have you been?" They embraced and Trisha looked her up and down. "Great, I'm actually engaged now"

"Really? There is hope for us all."

Talia laughed, "Are you still with Alex?"

Trisha nodded. "There have actually been a few recent developments on the Alex front. How about we catch up, where are you headed?"

Talia pulled out a long white list and read, "Uh, Bilken's."

"Perfect. Let's walk and talk."

And so Trisha updated Talia on her life and the conversation went all the way to the dressing room.

"So you love him, and he loves you, but you still sleep with different people on a regular basis?" Talia said from behind a dressing room door trying on a fringe mini skirt.

"Yeah, but I think I might stop on my end."

Talia looked over the door in confusion, "really? That's unlike you."

"I know, but now that the truth is all out there, I just feel like it would be weird to sleep with other men now."

"Well what about Alex? I don't think there's much chance on him doing the same." Talia stepped out.

"How does it look?"

"Alex is a borderline nymphomaniac, and I don't have the time to go at it all day every day. In a way these girls doing me a favor." Trisha examined the skirt. "I don't know I liked the plaid one better."

"So you're giving up sex?" Talia asked as Trisha stood half naked in the dressing room.

"I don't see that happening, I plan on living like one of those actress or jazz singers. You know Be successful, have torrid affairs, possibly die young. Who knows?" she stepped out in a green, skin tight crop top and high waist hot pants.

"What do you think?"

"I think you need new shoes."

"I'm not talking about the shoes, I mean look at this outfit. Would you shag me?"

"Not in those shoes I wouldn't"

She reentered the dressing room with a sigh. "Anyway, I'm not giving up sex, just giving up sex with men who are not Alex."

"What about women"

"Women are a different story entirely"

She left the dressing room and she shoved the clothes in a bag, "Let's just check out."

They moved to a shoe store and kept the conversation flowing.

"You know what you two are?" Talia asked as she slipped on a pair of pleather knee high boots. "You're Libertarians"

"What? You mean like Voltaire and De Sade?" Trisha thought on it, it made sense, they both had a disregard for convention and authority.

"I think you're what De Sade imagined when he wrote Juliette, a young, beautiful, amoral sexual deviant who will later live a happy fulfilling life."

"What about Alex?"

"Alexander DeLarge is what De Sade imagined when he wrote 120 Days of Sodom." Talia said flatly and Trisha started to laugh, leading to Talia laughing which led to them both leaning on the wall snickering loudly.

Trisha laughed and looked at her watch, it was two twenty.

"Shit, I gotta go. But here." she pulled out a pen and scribbled on Talia's hand. "Here's my home number, call me!" she hailed a cab and paid him extra to step on it, she arrived ten minutes late and rushed into the flat.

"Alex I…!" she led off at the sound of moaning from his bedroom. "And here I am worried about being late." She sighed and set down her bags before lighting a cig and walking in with a short knock on the door.

"Three on the nose?" she leaned on the door way and eye him disapprovingly as the two spry girls on top of him stopped and stared at her. "You know how I hate tardiness"

"Sorry Darling, we ran a bit over." Alex shrugged as she entered.

"Hello Ladies" she waved slight with the cigarette hanging from her lips

"Uh, Alex. Who is this?" Marty the brunette asked and Trisha smiled. "His girl, but don't let that bother you dear. I'm just along for the ride."

"Would you like to join us then love?" Alex leaned up a little as she sat down

"Lemme finish this, I'll be right with you." She took a drag from the cig and leaned back on the floor. Marty seemed to have no problem with Trisha being there and Soniette reclined on the floor with her. "Mind if I get a drag off that?"

"Sure, sweetie."

"An interesting relationship you two have." She noted and Trisha shrugged and snuffed out the butt.

"Alex's bed is Alex's province, he could people it would sheep for all I care. Which on occasion I am sure he has"

She began to undress on the floor as Marty tagged Soniette in and started a conversation with Trisha.

"Your boyfriend's certainly the amorous type."

"You know you'd be surprised" Trisha laughed as she pulled off her bra and pants and Alex tugged on her bare foot trying to get her into the fray. "I think he's just having a good day."

Trisha joined Soniette and Alex on the bed while Marty started to get dressed. The Alex sat back to watch Trisha and Soniette together, then Trisha and Marty, then Marty and Soniette shared a smoke while Alex and Trisha finished up until they were all tired and happy.

"So anyway, I'll call you tonight at around nine-ish alright?" Trisha walked down the stairs with a woman on either side. "We'll set up a night at the sinny or the like, just us girls."

"Alright, bye Patricia." Marty dragged Soniette along and waved goodbye.

"And no goodbye for Alex." Alex whistled on the stairs and Trisha rolled her eyes, "oh don't be such a baby, I can't help it that I'm great in bed and have a winning personality."

"And ever so modest as well."

"Exactly."

He looked her up and down, taking in her new wardrobe "and I'm sure the new platties didn't hurt, how very sammy of you to grace us with the sight." He began to slip a hand down her back but Trisha spotted a scene behind Alex and cleared her throat before looking pointedly behind him.

Alex looked over the stair railing to find his droogs waiting in the busted chairs in the "lobby."

"Hi, hi, hi there." Alex came all the way down and leaned of the railing while Trisha stayed on the second step.

"Well hello" Pete and Georgie said in unison

"He are here! He have arrived! Hurray!" Dim cheered

Alex looked around. "Welly, welly, welly, welly well. To what do I owe the extreme pleasure of this surprise visit?"

They were silent for a moment and George stood up slowly. "We got worried, there we were awaiting and adrinking at the old knify Moloko and you had not turned up." Georgie wandered toward Dim's chair and leaned on the back of it. "And we thought you might have been like offended by something or other, so around we come to your abode."

Alex waited a moment before replying. "Appy Polly Loggies, I had something of a pain in the Gulliver and so had to sleep. I was not awakened when I gave orders for awakening. "

"Sorry about the pain. Using the Gulliver to much like, eh?" Dim laughed dumbly "Giving orders and disciplining and that perhaps, eh?" Trisha sensed a tension in the air and drummed her fingers on the railing.

"You sure the pain's gone? You sure you'll not be happier back up in bed."

The entire rood was dead silence, it seemed like even the bird didn't dare sing at this point. Alex had that look on his face that usual came before some surprisingly harsh fit of ice cold rage. Alex very calmly strode over to Dim, cane swung over his shoulder nicely. He stood over him a moment before straddling his lap so they were eye level.

"Now Let's get things nice and Sparkling clear…" he now looked up at Georgie who seemed very apprehensive of the direction this could go. "This sarcasm, if I may call it such, does not become you, oh my brothers." He looked around, "As I am your droog and leader I am entitled to know what does on about eh?"

Dim began to chuckle awkwardly and Alex grabbed his face in one hand, "Now then Dim, what does that great big horsey gape of a grin portend?"

Georgie leaned forward slightly. "Alright, no more picking on Dim, brother. That's part of the new way."

 _Oh Fuck_

Trisha sucked in a breath and gripped the banister. Alex stared up at George with a rare form of anger that Trisha could recall only seeing a few times before now. And she prayed to God she would never be on the other side of it again because she might drop dead just like that.

Soon a large grin split Alex's face and he let go of Dim, "New way? What's this about a new way?" He stared down Georgie, "there's been some very large talk behind my sleeping back I know it."

Trisha giggled nervously, "I'm sure they're just having a bit of a lark, right boys?"

George ignored her, "Well if you must have it, have it then. We going around shop crasting and the like, and coming out with a pitiful rookerful of money each."

"Rookerful of money each yeah." Dim echoed after him.

"And there's Will the English in the Muscleman coffee mesto saying he can fence anything that any malchick tries to crast."

"yeah"

"The shiny stuff. The Ice. The big, big, big money is available's what Will the English says."

"Big, big money." Dim stammered and Alex looked down at him and gripped his shoulder.

"And what will you do with the big, big money?" He smirked, and looked around at them "Have you not everything you need? If you need a motorcar you pluck it from the trees, if you need pretty polly you take it."

"Brother, you think and talk somethings like a little child." George said firmly and Dim laughed and echoed him.

"Tonight we're talking about a man sized crast."

"A Man sized Crast!" Dim laughed and Alex gripped his shoulder and shook them, "good, real horrorshow! Initiative comes to them what waits!" Alex grinned but there was something sinister behind it.

"I've taught you much, my little droogies. Now tell me what you have in mind, Georgie Boy"

Georgie paused before smiling, convinced he had gotten through to the leader. "Well the old Moloko plus first, would you not say?

Dim echoed and laughed as did Alex and they exited the Flat complex and walked by the river. George lagged behind a moment and pulled Trisha back with him

"Trisha?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I was hoping tonight would be a bit more of a malchicks only crast if you don't mind me saying so."

Trisha smiled, "Course I don't mind Georgie, I'm no stranger to the lads going stag." She shrugged, "don't you worry about me I'll find something to do tonight." Georgie grinned.

"You're a proper lady Trisha. Mind tellin' Alex?" Trisha nodded and jogged up to her lover.

"Alex Dear, I really ought to be getting home, before Da send out the Bobbies to find me." Alex looked at her in confusion.

"But the night has just begun my dear, I viddy it's to be a real horrorshow crast tonight." She grinned and leaned forward. "I know, but I think you deserve a night with the lads. Between what just happened and the Dim incident last night well, I think maybe it's time you let them know who's still bull goose around huh?"

Alex thought on it before nodded, "Mayhap you're right my sweet, but are you sure you will not be too bored?"

"I Promise. I'll go hail a cabbie, in the mean time you take care of the dissention among the ranks yes?"

Alex Kissed her hard before waving her off, taking her advice to heart as she made for the main road to hail a cab.

Trisha made her way home after quickly stopping off at Alex's to grab her thing, she had a brief run on with Alex's mum.

"Oh, Who are you?"

"Frightfully sorry to disturb you Madame, but I'm afraid I may have left a bag of my things in your hallway." She said politely as the woman stood in the door.

"oh? What would you bag be doing in there?"

"Well you see missus, Alex did a bit of work for my father and I was sent to give him his pay, the poor thing was laid up in bed so I let myself in and gave it to him personally." She came up with the lie expertly, Alex always told his parents he did odd jobs at night to make money, so it fit right in.

"Anyway I left a bag I had been carrying in the hallway, and I wonder if I might grab it?"

The woman thought before nodded, "Come in, I'll get it for you dear."

"Thanks ever so much." She stood in the kitchen with Alex's father, who glanced at her a moment before doing a double take.

"Here you are dear." The woman handed her the shopping bag.

"thank you Madame, and please send my regard to Alex if you see him." She nodded at Alex's father, "Goodnight Sir, goodnight missus."

She left quickly and ran for the cabbie as Mrs. DeLarge watched her from the Window. "She seemed like a nice young Lady."

Mr. Delarge thought back on her scant outfit and nodded in agreement, "very nice."


	5. Chapter 5

It was around eleven that night when Patricia, lounging in a large bathtub, got a telephone call on her personal line. She sighed and reached for the antique telephone on the stool by the tub and cradled the receiver in the crook of her neck.

"Hello?" she yawned into the receiver.

"Patricia? It's Alex." She paused and sat up, the sound of water splashing echoing off the tiles.

"Alex?" she looked at the clock, "It's eleven fifteen. Is something wrong?"

"Patricia your father's a criminal attorney yes?"

Trisha swallowed, "Alex, are you in trouble?"

"They betrayed me, grahzny bratchnies shived me in the back. I'm at the police station and I'll need a good lawyer."

"Wait, what's the bail? I'll see if I can get you out."

"Remanded without Bail."

Trisha stood up and stumbled out of the tub, "I'll get my father, and He'll get you out of there not to worry. She struggled to pull her robe on.

"Whatever you do, _do not say a word_ , until your lawyer gets there. Understand."

"Crystal." He said with a tone of bitterness and she tied the robe around her. "Alex?"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry, I'll fix…" before she got to finish the phone was hung up and a long dull beep replaced him. She hung up the phone and threw a pair of shorts and a silk camisole before rushing down the stairs yelling for the house keeper.

"Hilda! Hilda!"

A plump woman in her mid-fifties came darting into the room, waving a feather duster about as she made for the steps. "Miss Patricia Please! Your father is working in his study!"

"I need to speak with him, it is a matter of utmost importance." Patricia brushed past the woman, "Please have the car brought around front, I will be needing it shortly."

"At this late hour? Where are you going?"

"To the police station." She stormed toward her Father's study and knocked quickly but didn't wait for an answer to enter.

"Patricia, what is this?" Mr. Van Cartier stood up, a smoking pipe in his hand.

"Da, I need your help!"

"What is it angel?" He sat down as Hilda closed the door.

"Da, A good friend of mine it in big trouble and he needs your help. You're the best criminal attorney around."

"What did he do?"

"I don't know, he just called me from the police station. I think some of his friends put him up to It." she polished the edge of the story and her father grunted.

"Prone to bad company is he?"

"Yes, but he's always been a good friend to me and he needs help please, dad please!"

The man stood with a sigh, "alright, alright. What's the boy's name then?"

"Alexander DeLarge, and he has a few priors but in the past two years he has been on the straight and narrow, honest he has." Trisha grabbed his arm, "please will you help him."

"I'll help him, I'll help him. After I read over the charges, now I'll go down to the Police station tomorrow morning and see if I can have a word with his parents."

Trisha sighed with relief and nodded. "Thank you dad, thanks so much you won't regret it!" she ran from the study and for the front door.

"Miss. Patricia! Your hair!" Hilda ran after her with a full length fake mink coat, "it's still wet! You'll catch your death!"

"Is the car out there?"

"Yes, but…"

"Tell Father I will call him soon if I am not back by the time he notices I'm gone." She instructed the house keeper firmly and grabbed the mink coat from her before running to the car.

It took her fifteen minutes to get to the police station and address the clerk at the counter. "My friend was brought in here a while ago, I need to see him." The officer looked up at her, unimpressed.

"He's probably back in the lockup, no visitors without an officer present."

"Can I speak with an officer please?"

The clerk pointed at his badge which read Officer Malek and Trisha sighed. "May I speak with an officer who will let me see my friend?"

"I reckon one will be about soon, you're welcome to wait until then."

So she did wait, in an uncomfortable plastic chair, wrapped in a full length fake mink coat the collar of which was dampened by her still soaking wet hair. Before too long an officer came around and agreed to escort her back to the lock up.

It was full of drunkards and undesirable folks but at the end of the stretch of cells was young man with golden hair sitting on the wooden bench with a contemplative look on his face.

"There he is." She pointed at him and the Officer let her in before locking the door back up.

"Trisha!" he stood up and she didn't hesitate to embrace him.

"When I said I need your help I didn't mean run down here in your knickers." He smiled despite the situation and she laughed in spite of herself.

"I talked to my father, he agreed to represent you and he will be here tomorrow morning."

She sat down next to him, "I told him you had some priors but for the past two years you've been on the straight and narrow. Your record should prove that unless those spineless bastards beside to testify." She examined his nose which had been stitched and had a patch of gauze taped over it and suddenly was filled with anger.

"You're of age now, if they convict you'll go away for a long time. In an actual prison." She pulled the coat around her tightly. "Considering your priors and the evidence, maybe if you plead guilty you'll get a lighter sentence. I told Da that you fell into poor company. It wasn't your idea."

Alex wrapped an arm around her under the coat, "you really think your dear old dad will help?"

"He said he would."

The cell door slid open, "a'right, visits over Miss."

Trisha reluctantly stood up as did Alex, who pulled her in with a rough kiss, letting his hands run up her torso smoothly before the guard banged the end of his billyclub on the bars.

"Come on now, this ain't no conjugal visit." The guard grabbed her arm and pulled her away mid kiss. She stared at Alex a moment, mentally assuring him she would be back, before allowing herself to be escorted out of the police station.

She started the car and began home before pulling over and making a U-Turn.

She had somewhere to go.

Going over the speed limit she arrived at the Moloko and slammed the car door before storming down the stairs and into the club with a cold, quiet air of anger. The kind that made people look twice and steer clear of an otherwise perfectly calm individual.

She found her targets in their usual spot, back table with their feet up and glasses in hand.

"Hello boys." She said cheerfully and only Georgie looked up, Pete stared at the wall in the corner and Dim glanced at her a few times before looking away quickly like a guilty child.

"Hi, hi, hi there Trisha, what brings you here?" Georgie tried to play it casual as she stood before them.

"Oh not much really," she slipped coat half off her shoulders and pulled up a chair to sit and face them.

"You all seen Alex?" she asked coolly, "He's not at his flat, and you're all here…." she stared them down one by one. "Any ideas? Pete? Georgie?" she turned.

"How about you Dim? Seen Alex as of late?"

The giant shuffled in his seat uncomfortably and swallowed. "Maybe he's at his mesto, just getting hisself a bit of spatchka, and he didn't hear ya tolchock is all."

Trisha felt the flame of hate in her stomach as she kept her icy façade, "oh really?" she hissed in almost a whisper. "Is that all you have to say Dim? He's asleep at home?"

She stared him down and he looked away as she moved to Georgie, "George? Something to say?"

George set his drink down, "well uh, maybe he's off chasing some ptitsa somewhere. Figured you was asleep, didn't want to wake you is all."

Trisha smiled falsely and then turned her attentions to the youngest and the quietest.

"And what about you Pete?" she stood up and wandered over to him before kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "Are you going to lie to me as well?" Pete closed his eyes, but Patricia could see the shame in them, whether it was momentary guilt or lifelong regret was yet to be determined.

"Despicable" she stood up and pulled her coat all the way on, "You all disgust me."

"I don't have to take this." Georgie began to get up but she reached forward over the table and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"You're going to take this and everything else I have to give you! Now sit your arse down!" she shoved him down and attracted the attention of a few patron who soon went back to their own business.

"Now you listen to me you sorry sacks of shit, the only reason I haven't turned you all in is because you've got dirt on me as well and even more on Alex. In fact I think the only reason you haven't gotten him in more trouble is because you're rotten cowards trying to save your own skins."

She said all of this just above a deadly whisper, leaning forward like a viper

"But let me be perfectly clear, if I ever see any of you causing any more trouble, or even hear a whisper of it. I swear to God and sonny Jesus I will blow the whistle on you so hard it'll make your heads spin. Don't forget I'm the daughter of the best criminal attorney in London, if someone were to let word slip I could get probation, house arrest, maybe even time served, but you three. Oh ho." She smirked.

"Fifteen, twenty years each _at least_. And I think you three would be _real_ popular in prison"

She stood up, adjusted her coat and smiled sweetly at them. "Have a lovely evening Gentleman, and remember… _Behave Yourselves._ "

She left the bar and arrived home at half past twelve.

"Miss Patricia…"

"Not now Hilda"

"But Miss Patricia, you have a phone call. It is Police Department."

Patricia froze and ran for the extension.

"Hello?"

"Is this the Van Cartier residence?"

"Yes, Who is this?"

"This is Sergeant Brandon at the police station, I was told this is the residence of Mr. Alex DeLarge's Lawyer."

"Yes, that is correct. I'm afraid Mr. Van Cartier is preoccupied at the moment. But can I take a message?"

"Yes, tell Mr. Van Cartier that the Charge on Mr. DeLarge has changed."

Patricia felt a flutter of hope in her chest. "Yes?"

"Mr. DeLarge is now to go to court of the Murder of Miss. Constance Weathers."

She went cold and her grip on the phone tightened. "Oh, Yes I will be sure to inform him of that. Thank you, Sergeant."

"Thank you Miss. You have a nice night now."

"Yes… same to you." She said in a hollow voice and slowly put the phone on the receiver. She took a shaky step and Hilda sprang forth like a mother hen.

"Miss Patricia you are very pale, you must sit down now."

"Yes, I think I should." She echoed and sat at the foot of the staircase.

"Hilda, I need you to do something very important for me."

"Yes Miss Patricia."

"I need you to go to my father and tell him that the charge on Alexander has been increased to murder." She said slowly and Hilda's eyes widened.

"Yes Miss Patricia, I will do that."

"Also" Patricia began to slowly stand up. "I think I will need a strong cognac brought up to my room please."

"But miss Patricia…"

"Just!" Patricia snapped harshly. "Do It. please."

The housekeeper frowned but nodded as the teen pulled her way up the staircase and into her room. She threw off the fur coat and camisole along with the shorts and unplugged the water from the tub, allowing it to drain before stopping it up again and running the hot water until it was nearly scalding.

There was a knock at the door and she pulled on a robe to retrieve the glass of liquor from a maid and then locking the door. She turned off the water and slipped into the hot bath slowly. She grabbed her pack and pulled out a cig, lighting up and puffing at the stick contemplatively.

There was a time she only smoked after sex, but luckily even if it had become a habit she never even came close to a pack a day.

Still, she sighed and put out the fresh cigarette.

"What the hell, maybe I'll be an alcoholic instead" she said half-jokingly to herself and sipped the brandy before sinking deep into the bath, prepared to stay in there until the water went cold which it did around one in the morning. She unplugged the drain and crawled out, limp from exhaustion. She didn't bother with getting dressed, simply crawling between the sheets to try and sleep before what would surely be the most nerve wrecking day of her young life.


	6. Chapter 6

Patricia had run out of tears, but she kept her red, puffy face pressed into Alex's chest as they sat on the bench in his holding cell. Alex's mother and father had come and gone, Em weeping just as Patricia had been, and P stoic with red eyes from trying not to cry.

Fourteen years it was to be, in State Prison F84 among hardened criminals.

Alex had not shed a single tear, nor did he show any outward signs of extreme distress, he had always been good at that.

"I wish I knew what to say" she whimpered, muffled by his suit jacket. Alex sat still as a statue, pondering what his fate was to be inside the walls of prison. In fact he was so lost in thought he didn't even notice she had stopped crying.

"Alex?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

Alex broke from his thinking and looked down at her, "You're sorry? What gloopy chepooka are you chumbling about? The way you've been platching people ought to think you're the one being convicted."

She turned her head and pressed her check to his shoulder. "I'm afraid _for_ you, you've just been sitting there like stone. I figure one of us has to be an emotional train wreck, why not me?"

She frowned and look at him, "why _are_ you so calm?"

Alex smirked a little and pressed his lips to her burning temple, "Because I viddied it would happen eventually I suppose, also…" his hand crept onto her lap, "I know a certain oomy Devotchka who will be all too willing to itty up and visit on occasion."

She smiled and nodded. "Every chance I have." She sighed. "And I'll write every single day." She thought a moment, "fourteen years, let's see I would be 31, and you'd be 33"

Alec hummed and leaned back on the wall.

"Hmmm, I imagine you'd turn into an old, fat Baboochka, marry some gloopy chelloveck with cutter to spare, living in a big domy and have a hundred or so little devotchkas and malchicks to raise." Alex predicted and Trisha shuttered.

"Well Then, I imagine you'll become an old man, stay fit, but start go bald. Smoke a lot more. Then you'll get out, get fat, probably land some factory job, lose the rest of your hair, and then grow old and bitter." She leaned against him.

"But I'll love you anyways."

Alex smirked, "And I you"

"Alexander, promise me one thing."

"What's that my dear?"

"While you're in there don't leave me for another man." She teased and Alex actually laughed at that.

"I won't if you won't"

"I won't" she assured him, "I promise."

Alex was slightly taken aback, "wait really?"

She nodded, "I don't think I could anymore, I wouldn't feel right about It I don't think. I mean it was one thing when we were both sleeping with other people but now you presumably won't be getting anything."

Alex grimaced at the thought, "I don't suppose they allow conjugal visits do they"

"Not in this country, and even outside it only to married couples" she rubbed his knee, "I guess those boudoir photos I gave you really will come in handy,"

"Times up."

The guard outside chimed in and Trisha sighed. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." She kissed him slowly, knowing full and well that this would be their last kiss for fourteen years.

Sweet and deliberate, with all unspoken words confessed through it

 _I Need You_

 _I Want You_

 _I Love You_

 _Be Brave._

However the guard must not have been the sentimental type as he banged his club on the bars loudly and repeatedly.

"I Love you." Alex assured her before she pulled away,

"I love you to," she embraced him before being thrown out by the guard.

She drove home in silence, no radio, even the engine seemed to be running quieter. She took the long way, taking time to drive up the river side where they had walked many times, raising hell, before finally summoning the courage to go home.

As she arrived at the Door, Hilda approached her carefully.

"Miss. Patricia, there have been some calls for you while you were away." She handed her three slips of paper and Trisha took them with a solemn nodded.

"Thank you Hilda, if you don't mind I think I would like to be left be for the day." The house keeper nodded understandingly as the teen retreated to her bedroom where she sat at the telephone and dialed the first number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Trisha."

There was the sound of movement on the other side of the line. "Trisha! It's Marty, Soinette is here to hold on." She called the other over.

"Patricia we just saw it in the papers, we're so sorry!" Soinette gushed into the phone, "if there's anything you ever need you just call us."

"Thank you ladies, but I think I will be alright." Trisha assured them, "But I'm not sure if I'll be in the mood for the sinny tomorrow so you two just go on without me."

After they expressed their condolences fifty more times Trisha hung up and dialed the second number.

"Talia, it's Trisha."

"Trisha? Holy hell I just saw the gazette an hour ago, are you alright?"

Trisha sighed and sat on the bed, "I will be, eventually."

"Do you want me to come over?"

"No, no just stay there. I think I ought to be alone right now anyway." She laid back.

"It just doesn't feel real, you know? I feel like I'm in the middle of some sick nightmare."

"So is it over between you two?"

"No, at least I hope not. I promised to write him every day and visit him all I can"

"Well, good luck to you both. And _call me_ if you need anything alright? You don't always have to be the strong one you know."

Trisha hung up after goodbye and looked at the third number. And unfamiliar but local one.

She started to dial the number as the phone rang and she answer slowly "Hello?

"Trisha? It's Peter, I mean Pete. I tried calling earlier but…"

She stiffened and swallowed a ball of bitterness lodged in her throat. "You've got a hell of a lot of nerve calling me right now Pete"

"I know, I know. You have every right to be mad at me."

"I know I do."

"And I should be saying this to Alex but I can't so I have to say it to you instead. I _am_ sorry Trisha. Truly I am."

Trisha sucked in her cheeks and blew out her nose, "Pete, this _really_ isn't a good time for me. Perhaps if you give me a decade I'll _consider_ forgiving you,"

"Well. I _am_ sorry."

"Goodbye Pete" she hung up forcefully, slamming the telephone down on the receiver harder than needed.

It was only two in the afternoon, but she was so exhausted it might as well have been midnight.

There was a knock at the door and she sighed before going to open in, "I said I wanted to be left alone…" she cut off when she saw Hilda on the other side holding a cut glass bottle of scotch and two glasses.

"I thought you might need a pick me up."

Patricia was never one to socialize with the help but in this case she decided it would be worth in. "come in."

Hilda entered and set the two glasses and bottle on the bed side table. "You know Miss. Patricia. I was once in a position much like yours."

Trisha scoffed slightly. "I appreciate the sentiment Hilda, but with all due respect, I rather doubt that."

Hilda laughed, "No?" she poured the liquor while shaking her head, "you think I do not know what it is like to love an imprisoned man?"

Patricia looked at her with wide eyes, "how did you…"

"A girl doesn't run out of the house in the middle of the night wearing only a slip and a fur coat for just any boy." Hilda raised her eyebrows.

"And yes, I know how you feel." She hunkered down on a chair and sipped the drink as did Patricia.

"You see I was about your age when I met a handsome young man named Fietka. Oh he was a beautiful man. Black hair, with green eyes, strong arms and a bum like a pair of fresh melons." Hilda sighed fondly and Patricia sipped uncomfortably.

"So he went to prison?"

"Hush, I'm getting there." The woman waved her off, "anyway, unfortunately he was rather fond of the drink, and in a drunken brawl he killed a man over a pocketknife of all things! Can you imagine!?" she laughed slightly. "But the night before he did so, we had become engaged to be married. And when I found out I was devastated, I wouldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and I was engaged for nearly twenty years."

Patricia listened with great interest, "The very day Alex got arrested, I told him I loved him for the first time." She confessed, "Before that it had just been flings between friends, but that day I finally told him and he said he felt the same."

She took another drink, "and then, of course, everything went to Hell. Figures, right?"

"The course of true love never did run smooth." Hilda nodded, "anyway, I wrote Fietka three times a week, and I would visit every Tuesday, and after twenty years he got out."

"Well then what happened?"

"He left me" Hilda hissed and took a drink, "said I didn't age well."

Patricia sighed and half glared at her, "Hilda what part of this story was supposed to make me feel better?"

"I didn't say I would make you feel better, your lover is in prison no story can change that! I said I knew how you felt and brought you scotch." Hilda nodded and poured her another drink before picking up the bottle.

"Imagine you'll want some time to think." She nodded, "I'll have dinner brought up to you."

"Thank you Hilda."

Patricia was left alone again and sighed, seriously craving a cigarette but determined to quit so she would no long have to cover the smell with perfume. She had contacted the prison and visiting hours were 10-1 on Thursdays, and all Mail was checked for contraband upon arrival.

Suddenly she had an idea, picking up the phone she dialed a number and waited eagerly for the pickup. "Hello? Is Armand there?" she asked quickly and the secretary connected her.

"Armand Coldmin, who may I ask is calling?"

"Armand, it's Patricia."

"Patricia, my darling it's been too long. Calling to set up another session?"

"You read my mind, do you have any slots open?"

"For you dear, always"

There was a sound of shuffling and cabinets being opened and closed, "I can book you for the day after next at noon. Does that work?"

Patricia grinned, "Armand, you're a gem. I'll be there." She hung up and nodded, she knew exactly how to lift Alex's spirits. Moving to the closet she pulled out a small leather suitcase from the back and unzipped it.

Contained inside was a vast array of lingerie she treated herself to on occasion. They ranged from vanilla to on the kinky side, which were Alex's favorite.

She couldn't very well try to get her previous pictures from Alex's flat, so she would just have to get new ones taken.

(Thursday, ten am)

"Number 655321,"

Alex looked up at the guard standing in the doorway of the prison library.

"A visitor for you."

Patricia sat in the chair separated from her Lover by a slate of glass. Alex entered in his prison uniform but was still handsome as ever, whereas in the boy's eyes Patricia was a vision.

She had taken extra care this morning, plus two hours at the salon. She wore a tight green dress and a fur wrap which she picked and fiddled with as was her habit.

"Aren't you a sight for sore glazzies" He said into the receiver of the phone which was their only source of communication.

"How're you doing?" she asked sympathetically.

"A'right, considering the circumstance." Alex shrugged, in truth he had been jumpy as hell the first few days though he refused to outwardly show it.

"Did you get my letter?" she asked sheepishly, and Alex smirked a little. "Indeed. Naughty, naughty my sweet. Though I fear your dear lover is not the only one to itty a smot at your grahzny pictos."

"Showing them off were you?" she leaned back with a playfully accusing smile and he shook his head, "no not I, but the envelope was razrezed a tad when it came to me."

She sighed and glanced at the guards behind him, "oh well, let'em have a gander" she sobered up looked at him seriously.

"Honestly though, are you alright? I mean have the others… I mean you haven't" she looked over the barrier, he looked just fine if not slightly haggard but you never knew. "You looked exhausted, that's all."

"I ought to, I haven't had more than perhaps twelve hours of spatchka since I arrived" Alex confessed and she wanted to reach through the glass and touch him but she kept her hands on the counter.

"It doesn't feel right without you out here." she told him honestly, "I keep wanting to drive down to the moloko and see you, the second night I actually got in the car before remembering that…" she lead off into silence.

A few other prisoners had been escorted in to be visited by wither lawyers or loved ones as well and Trisha smiled bitterly.

"Only fourteen years to go right?"

Alex tried to smirk but it was forced, "yeah. I'm sure it will fly by real skorry, just watch." He forced another smile, "you'll see."

Trisha tried to smile back but the reality just wouldn't let her.

"Patricia?"

"Yes Alex."

"Could you do something for me love?"

She looked up, "Anything."

"Smile for me, a real smile."

She nodded and did so, powered only by the thought that it would make him happy.

He smiled back and nodded, "there's my sweet devotchka, If I keep that locked up in my Gulliver I might just make it through yet."

Trisha smiled and shook her head in wonder, "How is it you can be in the worst of situations, and still be so damned charming?"

"Logic would suggest that I'm just that damned charming." Alex shrugged and she snickered.

"And Ever so humble." She added with a small smile.

They sat and talked about everything they could think of until the hour of one came around and she was all but forced off the block.

"I'll be back next week" were her last words before the door slammed shut, and she was true to her word every week, and between visits the letters came and went three times a week as promised. Once in a while a new picture would show up and Alex would hide them under his mattress for safe keeping and to appreciate when night came around. And together they fell into a routine that lasted for two long years.

Before the routine suddenly shattered.


	7. Chapter 7

Two years pasted surprisingly quickly once a habit was formed, and before long Patricia had graduated top of her class at age nineteen. Her father however, did not fare so well in the years and died of a heart attack just after her graduation, leaving her with a trust fund to keep her going for the rest of her life along with everything else, him having no other heirs.

Once word got out that Mr. Van Cartier had left everything to her, servants turned in their two weeks in record time, but that didn't stop a whole new flock domestics from flying for a change at employ. She had also secured a sort of career for herself writing in for an advice column in the morning gazette

Alex had moved up in the world as well, at least in prison. He had become assistant to the Chaplin and worked to organize Sunday services. Patricia had been shocked to learn this upon her visits but Alex explained that he didn't care so much for the New Testament as he did the Old.

He also noted how he and Patricia were like the married couples of the old testament, in which the Wife would allow her Husband to bed her handmaidens , but Patricia pointed out it would be more accurate if the wife were also sleeping with the hand maidens.

"I never thought I would see the day you opened up the Good Book Alex" she chuckled in disbelief. Despite everything Patricia was actually a regular church goer, more out of habit that anything else. However she always smudged the details of her exploits when it came to confession.

Alex always teased her about her holy habit, saying there must be a God because it was nothing short of a miracle that she could set foot on holy ground and not burst into flames,

"And I never thought I would viddy your rabbit in the gazette but here we are." Alex retorted and looked around, "So, there may be a small chance that I am able to get out soon."

Trisha's ears perked up, "What? How?"

"There's this treatment, it's supposed to turn the badiwads into proper gents you see. And I'm planning to get the good ole' Charlie to drop in my eemya for testing." He whispered into the phone and she nearly dropped it.

"Are you mad?" she yelled in a whisper, "throwing yourself out there for an experimental procedure that you know nothing about?!"

"Not nothing my love, and whether it works or not, I'll be goolying out of here."

"But Alex…"

"Don't you want that I should leave here?"

"Of Course but…"

"Would you rather I wait another twelve years in this rotting hellhole?"

"No! But Alex…!"

"Well?"

Alex stared at her with a look that said he knew he had won and she bit her lip nervously. She wanted him out but she didn't want him to go through some possible deadly experiment to get there.

"Promise me that you will be careful," she finally muttered and he shot her a half smile,

"I swear it, soon your wild kot will be as gentle as a domy koshka."

Trisha frowned and sighed, "But I love my wild kot"

"Would you love me any less if I were different?"

She swallowed, "No"

"Promise?"

"I promise"

And so a week later Alex somehow managed to get himself picked for the trial run of the Ludovico Technique. Patricia personally did some research on it and she was not comforted by what she found, apparently it was to be some sort of therapy to make people no long desire to be bad anymore.

She prayed it was the type of therapy where you sat down and talked your problems out.

Boy, was she wrong.

The fact was driven home very forcefully a fortnight later, after two weeks of hellish worrying and pacing with little food and next to no sleep she drove to the Ludovico Institute to witness what was to be a demonstration of the Technique's effectiveness.

She dressed in her church clothes and sat in a crowd of maybe two dozen people who muttered and chattered around her. She had managed to snag a front row seat next to the Chaplain that Alex had grown close to.

And soon a doctor in a white Medical coat entered from a side door, towing along Alex and placing him on the stage under a spotlight.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, at this point, we introduce the subject himself. He is, as you will perceive, fit and well nourished. He comes straight from as night's sleep and a good breakfast, undrugged, unhypnotized." A man with white hair in a black tux addressed them.

"Tomorrow, we send him with confidence out into the world again, as decent a lad as you would meet on a May morning. What a change is here, Ladies and Gentlemen, from the wretched hoodlum the state committed to unprofitable punishment some two years ago, unchanged after two years. Unchanged, do I say - not quite."

Patricia stared at Alex, trying to perceive a change in him. Something did indeed seem off about the whole thing, he stood as if a statue with not a fidget or a twitch.

"Prison taught him a false smile, the rubbed hands of hypocrisy, the fawning, greased, obsequious leer. Other vices prison taught him as well as confirming him in those he had long practiced before. Our party promised to restore law and order and to make the streets safe for the ordinary peace loving citizen. This pledge is now about to become a reality. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an historic moment. The problem of criminal violence is soon to be a thing of the past. But enough of words, actions speak louder than. Action now. Observe all."

There was a round of mild applause for the man, but Trisha didn't bother for she was too nervous to do anything but watch Alex on the stage.

A man entered the stage behind Alex and approached him with a snide sneering grin.

"Hello, heap of dirt." He chuckled and sniffed the air, "oh, you don't wash much do you? Judging by the smell."

Alex seemed unswayed by the rudeness, "why do you say that brother? I had a shower this morning."

The man sniggered again, "oh, he had a shower this morning. You trying to call me a liar?"

Alex did seemed put back by that a bit, but still standing "No, Brother!"

"You must think I'm awfully stupid." The man wagged a finger at him with a chuckle before delivering a sharp slap across Alex's face which echoed off the walls.

Trisha sat straight up and braced herself, in case the treatment was a failure and Alex failed to hold any anger in. Alex straightened up and stared at the man like he wanted to strike him right back but swallowed.

"Why did you do that Brother? I've never done wrong to you."

"You wanna know why I did that? Well you see, I do this!" He smashed Alex's foot with his heel. "And That!" He pulled Alex's ears and shoved him to the floor. "Because I don't like your horrible type do I?" He planted his foot on Alex's chest and Trisha covered her mouth at the sight of the young blonde struggling under the man's boot.

"If you wanna start, just go ahead!" the man challenged him, "Go on and start, please do!"

Alex went sickly pale and gripped at the man's shoe, "I'm gonna be sick, Please I'm gonna be sick."

"You gonna be sick?" the man mocked him

"Please, let me get up" Alex gasped as if he were in horrible agony. Trisha wanted to put a stop to it, If Alex wasn't in pain he was putting on a damned good show.

"You wanna get up? Well you've gotta do something for me." The cruel man twisted his heel in Alex's chest, "you see that? You see that shoe? I want you to lick it, go on!"

"This is sick" she muttered under her breath, the chaplain glanced at her and they shared a look of agreement.

"This is absolutely inhumane."

They dismissed the man after Alex had humiliated himself licking his shoe, and next on stage was a young woman of great beauty, with straight purple hair, wearing nothing but a pair of panties

Everyone, including Alex, stared at her as she approached the boy on the floor silently. Trisha felt she knew what would happen next and swallowed hard as Alex stared up at the woman in awe before slowly reaching up to her chest, but as soon as his hand was an inch away he let out a rattily breath like that of a dying man.

He fell from his knees to the ground, contorting in agony at the woman's feet.

The director dismissed the girl who left to loud applause as the man made of the stage and to Alex who was struggling to right himself and sit up. "There now, you don't feel so bad, right?"

Alex retched slightly before shaking his head and struggling to pull himself together, "No sir, I feel really great sir."

Trisha was furious and sat in quiet rage as Alex looked up at the man, "Did I do alright sir? Did I do well?"

"Splendid my boy, splendid." He turned to the audience. "You see, Ladies and Gentlemen our subject is, you see, impelled towards good by paradoxically being impelled toward evil. The intention to act violently is accompanied by strong feelings of physical distress. To counter these, the subject has to switch to a diametrically opposed attitude. Any questions?"

"Choice!" the priest next to Trisha shot up in fury. "The boy has no real choice, has he? Self-interest, fear of physical pain drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement."

He went up the stage and grabbing Alex's shoulder "Its insincerity was clearly to be seen. He ceases to be a wrong doer, but he ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice."

Alex's face fell in slight concern.

"Padre, these are subtleties." The man brushed him off "We are not concerned with motive, with the higher ethics; we are concerned only with cutting down crime." There was an applause from the audience and Alex smiled once more, satisfied.

"And with relieving the ghastly congestion in our prisons... He will be your true Christian, ready to turn the other cheek! Ready to be crucified rather than crucify, sick to the very heart at the thought even of killing a fly! Reclamation, joy before the angels of God. The point is that it works!"

The room burst into agreement but Trisha sat silently, disturbed to the core by what she had witnessed. Alex spotted her in the front row and Smiled but there was something hollow in it, like it was a mask he was wearing the cover something else.

After the Show, She approached Alex while they were escorting him away. "I'm very…happy, for you Alex." She had to spit out the word like it was stuck in the back of her throat.

"I will be waiting outside for you." She wanted to reach out and touch him but didn't, only taking a last look into his eyes, straining to find the boy she knew in them before giving him a faint smile and walking for the exit.

Standing outside the institute Patricia smoked her first cigarette in two years, and stared blankly ahead. That boy they were about to set free was not Alexander DeLarge, it was now a shadow of him completely unprepared for the harsh world.

Unable to utter a cold phrase, or defend himself should the time call for it. Yes they had taken away his violent streak, but they had rendered him a chicken in a world of foxes.

Soon A guard popped his head out and noticed her. "You Patricia Van Cartier?"

"Yes."

"You're the person Mr. DeLarge is to go home with?"

"Yes."

"I wonder if you might sign some release forms for us please."

She nodded and put out the cigarette before reentering the Institute, Alexander was waiting for her beside a string of whitecoated doctors. "Just sign here, stating you are an acquaintance of this man"

She did so.

"And here, stating you will be taking full custody of the subject after leaving this area."

She signed.

"And of course a liability waver."

"Of Course" she muttered and scribbled her signature on the final page as the warder passed off the clipboard to a doctor. "Alright, you are free to go." He Shook Alex's hand quickly. "Good Luck to you, Young man."

"Thank you sir."

Trisha took Alex's hand and led him out to the car.

"I'll send for your things at your flat, I imagine you're extremely tired." She said sympathetically and Alex smiled.

"No need my Love, I'll skvat what I need in, and viddy in on dear old Em and P." Alex shrugged and Trisha gripped the wheel, starting the car and pulling out slowly.

"Are you quite sure?"

"Course."

"Alex?" she paused and pulled over in the parking lot. "Darling, can I ask you something."

"Anything you like." Alex laughed but Trisha didn't smile back.

"Are you Happy? I mean, this treatment, are you happy with the change?" Alex's face fell a little but he quickly covered it up again.

"Of course my love, I feel real horrorshow. They're made a real dobby Malchick out of me."

"Well." She started the car again, eyeing him with uneasiness, "If you say you're happy, than I'm happy to."

She drove toward Alex's old flat and pulled up in front of the complex for the first time in two years.


	8. Chapter 8

"Want me to come in with you?" Trisha asked before quickly adding "In case you need help I mean. I suppose you won't be needing too much but…"

Alex didn't argue and even opened the car door for her, which had never happened before. As He led her up to the Flat she looked around, struck by a wave of nostalgia, nothing had changed in the two years she had been gone, it was as if time had stood still.

Alex pulled his old house key from the brown paper parcel and opened the flat door but allowed her to enter first. If he was polite before Prison, he was a proper gentleman now, and it was one that Patricia couldn't complain about.

"You're being very gentlemanly Alex, did you go to Prison or Etiquette classes?"

"I suppose a few years without female company has made me appreciate it a bit more." Alex shrugged.

The music playing was loudly and it didn't seem that anyone heard them come in.

"I still think you should have let me tell your parents about the treatment." Trisha said pointedly

"And ruin the surprise?"

"I think Shock is the word you're looking"

She grabbed his shoulder, "Alex, maybe I should go in first. I've been keeping in touch with them for a while, maybe it will be better if we don't spring too much on them at once."

She hated to spoil his enthusiasm so soon, however she did get a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Alex thought on it a moment before nodding reluctantly but he didn't let it spoil his sunny outlook, however he did seem put off as they passed his old room and found it obviously lived in but completely different.

"They just took in a lodger, for the extra money" she took his hand, "your stuff is probably just packed away someplace."

Alex nodded and allowed her to slip in front of him as she crept down the hall way. "Just wait right here okay?" she held him off and popped her head in the room.

Sure enough there was Mr and Mrs. DeLarge and the lodger Joe, drinking tea and reading the morning paper which told about Alex's new freedom.

"Mr. DeLarge, Mrs. DeLarge." she announced herself and they looked up.

"Patricia, what a surprise seeing you here dear." Mrs. DeLarge set her paper aside, "Have you seen the papers?"

Patricia bit her lip, "Uh yeah, yeah I have…" she smiled a little. "I actually have a bit of a surprise for you all." She looked at Alex in the hall and motioned for him to enter, which he did almost sheepishly.

Mr. DeLarge almost spilled his tea and Mrs. DeLarge stared in shock.

"Surprise" Trisha smiled nervously. Alex grinned at the shock.

"Hi, hi, hi there my P and Em" He stepped forward to his mother, "Hello Love, How are you" He kissed her cheek lovingly and she accepted it in surprise.

Mr. DeLarge had stood up looking pale as Alex shook his hand, "Nice to see you, Dad."

"H-Hello Lad, nice to see you to." He sputtered and Trisha sighed, she was afraid this would happen.

"Keeping fit?" Alex mimed punching his arm jestingly but Mr. DeLarge jumped about a foot in the air.

"Fine, fine" he trembled and Alex laughed,

"So how are you then?"

"Fine, fine, keeping out of trouble you know."

"Well." Alex smiled, "I _out_ "

"Aye." Mr. DeLarge sat back down and turned off the Radio.

Patricia stepped in, "We actually came by to pick up some of Alex's things." She explained, "Also so Alex could see you two again."

"You've found a place to stay then?" Mr. DeLarge looked like a giant weight had been taken off him.

"Yeah, Trisha and I govereeted about me lodging at her domy for a while." Alex explained. Mrs. DeLarge stood up.

"Why didn't you let us know what was happening son?" she asked and Alex scratched the back of his neck.

"Sorry Em, I just wanted it to be like…a surprise for you and P."

"Well it is a surprise, a bit bewildering to."

"We've all only just read about it in the morning paper."

Trisha sighed, "I wanted to let you know but your headstrong son insisted."

"Aye, you should have let us know lad." His father was still a nervous as a mouse. "Not that we're not very glad to see you. And all Cured to?"

"That's right dad." Alex confirmed, "They did a great job on my Gulliver, I'm completely reformed!"

"For better or for worse I don't know." Trisha muttered under her breath and Alex glanced at her, "say something love?"

"I said you haven't met Joe." She covered it up and motioned to the tense stranger on the couch. "Your uh, your parents took him in."

"Joe," she eyed the lodger she had only met a handful of times but still wasn't all that fond of. "This is Alex."

Alex stood before the lodge and Trisha felt the air change, Alex's temperament had shifted slightly back to his old self and she held her breath.

"How do you do Joe? Find the room comfortable do you? No, complaints?"

Joe stared up at Alex, "I've heard about you." He said coldly, "I know what you've done." He stood up so that Alex and He were face to face and Trisha took a step back slowly.

"Breaking the heart of your poor grieving parents. So you're back ay? Back to make life a misery for your loving parents once more it that it?"

"Joe please." Trisha tried to break in but Mr. DeLarge grabbed her wrist, "best not dear."

Joe continued, "Well over my dead corpse you will because you see, they've let me be more like a son to them than a lodger."

Alex moved to strike him but froze mid punch as Mrs. DeLarge pulled Joe down on the couch. And Alex stumbled back, gagging.

"Alex!" Patricia shot forward and grabbed his shoulders as he backed into the bar

"Well do put your hand over your mouth please, it's bloody revolting. "

Trisha glared at him, "Oh sod off Joe!"

"What's the matter Lad, are you feeling alright?" Mr. DeLarge asked and the Mrs leaned forward. "Dad, it's the treatment" she pointed at the paper on her knee.

"Well it's disgusting" Joe muttered as Trisha led Alex to a red chair gently. "It's enough to put you off your food."

Trisha growled as she got Alex in the seat, "Joe I swear to _God_ …"

"Oh leave him be Joe, it's the treatment." Mrs. DeLarge scolded him.

"D'you think we should do something?" Mr. DeLarge asked as Trisha rubbed Alex's shoulders.

"No, he'll be just fine. It passes after a few minutes I think" She shook her head and ran her fingers through Alex's fair hair.

"Would you like me to make you a nice cup of tea son?" Mrs. DeLarge asked and Alex shook his head. "No Thanks mum, it'll pass in a minute. Like she said." He gasped and struggled to steady his breathing.

Trisha stepped forward after patting his shoulder, the sickness seemed to have passed but he still clung to the paper parcel pressed to his chest.

"What have you done with his things? I'll take them out to the car."

"Well, that was all took away by the police. New regulation about compensation for the victim."

Trisha nodded, "No matter… No matter, that's alright. What about Basil?" she glanced at them.

"The Snake?" she clarified.

"Well he…" the father stuttered, "He met with, with like an accident. He…He passed away."

Trisha sighed and stroked Alex's hair. "I'm sorry Alex." She whispered, "But It'll be alright I promise."

"Serves him right" Joe muttered and Trisha froze before standing up.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me" Joe stood up as well. "I've heard all that he's done, sitting here around the family table it was real shocking to listen to. Made me real sick some of it. It's only fair that he should suffer proper!" They squared up nose to nose as Trisha listened to him in quiet fury.

"You leave him be." She growled and Joe scoffed.

"Or what? Well look he's weeping now, but that's all his craft and artfulness!" Joe went on "Do yourself a favor and let him find a room someplace else, don't let the others in that fine neighborhood of yours be put at risk because you're too stupid to see past his game"

Trisha snapped, she couldn't remember the last time she raised a hand to a person but Joe had pushed enough of her buttons to earn a sharp hand across his cheek.

It was either harder than she thought it would be or he was completely unprepared for it because he's head snapped to the side like it was on a swivel.

She didn't have the time to revel in the strike however as Alex began to gag and retch once more. She looked at him before realizing the act of violence must have set off the treatment and she covered her mouth.

"Alex!" she stepped forward but he stumbled back and shook his head, before stumbling down the hall and out the door, gagging and contorting the whole time.

"Huh" Joe chuckled, "maybe that treatment does work"

Trisha glared up at him in hate, "you go straight to hell"

She ran after Alex out the door and found he had made it to the river side.

"Alex!" she ran after him. "Alex, I'm sorry I…" she grabbed his arm, "I wasn't thinking, I'm so sorry."

It seemed like he was ignoring her and she let go of his arm but still jogged to keep up with him until they made it to the bridge. Alex slowed, then stopped and stared into the water.

"Alex?" she brushed his arm but he didn't react as he didn't break his gaze with the rippling river.

"Can you spare some cutter me brother?" A bum approached Alex but he was met with silence.

"Can you spare some cutter…me brother?" the bum pleaded and Trisha sighed before pulling out her pocket book.

"Here" she pressed some money into the Bum palm.

"Thanks little sister" The bum nodded and began to turn before catching a good look At Alex's Face, an expression of recognition spreading over his face. Alex noticed the look and began to back away.

"Jamey Mack! Be the hokey fly! Holy Mother of God! All the Holy Angels and blessed saints in Heaven preserve us!" The tramp put up his fists and Trisha began to back up to as Alex broke away and made for the bridge tunnel.

"I never forget a face!" the tramp ran alongside him, arms grabbing at his suit, "I never forget any face, by God!"

"Let me go Brother, I've never seen you before" Alex insisted as the Tramp grabbed him and dragged him under the bridge to the other bums.

"This is the poisonous young swine who near done me in!" The bum Announced and Trisha instantly recognized the man, the tramp from two years earlier who Alex and the Droogs so viciously assaulted while Trisha watched on, laughing and cheering.

She around after them, "Stop! Let him be!" She grabbed at the Bum's hands that gripped Alex but was brushed off as if she were an annoying fly instead of a human being.

The hoard of tramps began to attack Alex, kicking and hitting and yelling as Alex went to the ground and covered his head.

Trisha did the only thing she could do, but never thought she would.

She called for the police, she yelled and ran up and down the street until a pair of Bobbies noticed her and harkened her cries for aid. They followed her to the scene and began to push through the crowd of rabid bums.

"Alex!" she made for him as soon as the crowd began to scatter, "Are you alright?"

Alex nodded but looked up at the cops, a look of terror spread over his face. "Oh no!"

She looked up and felt all blood drain from her body.

"Well! Well, Well, Well!" Dim, now assumedly Officer Dim, laughed. "If it isn't little Alex. Long time no viddy Droog."

"It impossible, I don't believe it." Alex sputtered as Trisha stood up, "Nor do I." she said coldly, putting herself between Alex and the officers.

"Evidence of the old glazzies" George said coolly, "nothing up our sleeves. No Magic little Alex. A job for two, who are now Job age. The Police." He turned to Patricia with a cruel smile.

"You've done real horrorshow Trisha, I thank you. Now step aside."

She frowned and planted her feet. "No."

George smirked. "I believe we has ourselves a civilian in distress. Officer, if you will." Dim chuckled in his familiar, heavy way and gripped Trisha by the arm and pulled her out of the way roughly as George grabbed Alex.

"Let me go! Dim! I said let me go" she struggled and Shoved him off of her, making him stumble back.

"That's assault of an officer miss, you'll have to come with us." He snatched her arm and twisted it behind her as she cried out and was dragged along with Alex to a large Police Landrover and thrown in the back like a sack of potatoes…


	9. Chapter 9

**A big thanks to juliet who reviewed on the last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one!**

They drove out of the city and on to a stretch of winding country road until they came to a stop outside of a nature path.

Georgie and Dim seized them both and bound them with handcuffs, one set on Alex's wrists and the other on Trisha's and they were marched down the path side by side each being restrained by an officer.

"Come, come my little droogies." Alex begged, "I just don't get this at all, the past is dead and gone and for what I did in the past I've been punished!"

"This is an abuse of power! I'll have both of your badges I swear to God I will!" Trisha threatened and George pushed her head forward and down, "Pipe down! Your dear daddy's not alive for you to hide behind anymore, you can't do a damned thing to us."

Apparently they knew all about the "cure" and planned to take advantage of the situation, and as she and Alex were dragged down the path Alex began to retch and gag once more.

"Bloody Cowards! Couldn't face him when he's himself so you wait until he can't do a damned thing to stop you! You're weaklings, hiding behind a badge!" Trisha cursed them as they shoved her to the ground and they approached a low sitting water trough for farm animals.

"You stay there, little sister" George threatened her with his baton, as he secured her cuffs to a post by the trough.

"And watch that rot of yours 'for it gets you in more trouble." He twisted around and knocked the wind out of Alex, sending him to his knees before shoving his head in the water.

"Stop it!" she lunged for Dim but he bumped her off easily as the chains brought her back and Alex thrashed and screamed, sending bubbled of air up to the surface. "You're going to kill him, Stop!"

She went for George but was easily held off with one hand as He struck Alex over and Over with his baton.

"Please, Stop!"

George growled and pushed her off before going at Alex again with his baton. Alex's thrashing slowed and became delayed as he twisted.

"George!" she screamed his name as he began to bring another blow down, "George Please!" she begged him, staring at him with wet pleading eyes.

"He can't hurt you any more, he can't hurt anyone! He's been punished enough, if any one should be punished it's me! Please George Have mercy!"

George looked at her and for a moment was softened and growled before hitting Alex once more and pulling his keys out of his belt. "Alright that's enough. That's enough!" he shoved Dim lightly and began to unlock Alex's cuffs.

He had been under for a full minute and when they pulled him out he remained still for a second, just enough to scare the living hell out of Trisha before he started gasped and flailing.

George and Dim laughed and shoved him to the mud before cuffing him to a post.

"Let's get this clear now, you think you should be punished, 'stead of him?" George approached her questioningly and she nodded. George smiled a sinister grin, and loosed his belt slightly.

"I think that can be arranged"

In three minutes, George had her out behind the tall grass. She lay still and cold on the ground, arms cuffed behind her, waiting for him. But as he prepared he found something terribly wrong.

Her eyes stared silent daggers into him, full of cold, hateful judgement as her words echoed in his ears.

 _Coward_

 _Weakling_

And try as he might her hateful eyes and evil words made things a bit difficult…

He growled in frustration and zipped back up, "You damned Bitch!" he drew his baton and struck her in the stomach before pulling her up by her hair. She didn't stop staring at him, silently insulting him with her cold, dead glare.

"Shut your eyes." He ordered and she refused, even intensifying her glare if it was possible.

"I said shut your damn eyes!" He raised up and struck her in the ribs with his club.

 _What's the matter Georgie boy?_ Her voice echoed in his mind, as if her eyes were speaking to him. _Don't have it in you?_

He struck her again, in the back this time and she flinched but did not dare cry out.

He heard her laughing mockingly in his mind.

 _Not man enough to take care of business? Too scared to face someone head on, they need to be cuffed and helpless?_

He howled and beat her ruthlessly with the baton, until she started to cry out and curl into a ball. Begging him once more to stop.

It was the begging that stopped him at last, Trisha laying broken and bleeding in the dirt with raised welts and fresh bruised and blood trickling from her nose and lips while crying out for him to please stop hitting her.

George shoved away his baton and uncuffed her before picking her up and dragging her out to the trough in front of Alex and uncuffing him silently.

"Viddy, you some more sometime Droogie" Dim laughed as George and he left them alone in the middle of nowhere.

Trisha dragged her broken body to the trough and splashed the water on her face, wiping away the blood. She then crawled over to Alex who was still slumped by the post and laid down on his lap.

They sat in silence, only Alex's rough breathing being heard.

"Trisha?" He heaved and she stroked his drenched hand which had come to rest on her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I don't much like this new treatment anymore."

"I know Alex."

She looked around and Up at the sky. "We need to get some place safe, there's a storm coming this way." She pulled him up slowly. "I don't think it will be safe for you to go back into town, at least not until we work everything out." She tried to dust him off but found it useless.

"Even when I'm good I cause trouble." Alex bemoaned, "Mayhap you…you shouldn't be around me."

Trisha paused and stared at him, "What, why?"

"It seemed everyone and everything that's not you wants me to snuff it. It's not safe for you to me around me."

Trisha shook her head, "I don't care," she hugged his shivering body, "I don't care if people want you dead, I'm going to stay with you."

She pressed her lips softly to his and sighed as he kissed her back firmly, returning to his old self once more.

She wrapped her arms around him as he rested his hands on her hips and gripped them, pressing his fingers firm and he kissed her harder. His hands moved up to her torso and the tips of his fingers brushed her breast before he doubled over in pain.

"Shit!" she grabbed him as he gasped and shook in pain and sickness until he calmed down. She cast her eyes up to the sky as to ask God himself

 _Seriously?_

"It's okay, that's okay." She nodded as he righted himself unsteadily and had to lean on her.

"So sex is off the table, that's just perfect."

She and Alex wondered back to the road and staggered together until it started to pour down rain and night fell onto them.

"Just a bit further Love." She encouraged him and He nodded.

"Just a bit further, righty right." He swallowed. "And exactly…how many more times will you be govereeting that before we actually get somewhere."

He said it cheerfully but the sarcasm was evident.

"There's a light up ahead, maybe it's a house." She trudged along and as they got closer she found the sign was actually shining on an entry way to a long drive way.

"Oh Shit." She cursed and stopped in her Tracks.

"What is it _now?_ "

"Alex, do you remember this place?"

Alex looked around and at the sign before realization dawned on his face.

"No."

"Alex, it's the only place for miles!"

"No!"

"Alex you can barely walk, and I am not carrying you back into town."

Alex pushed off her over and onto the Stone wall with a firm, determined glare.

"Patricia, I have been out of prison a single day. In that time frame I have been rejected by my em and p, a shaika of tramps tried to drat me, and I was nearly drowned by two of my former so called droogs, now…" he propped himself up on the wall so he was taller than her instead of leaning on her.

"I love you, Bog knows I do. But I am not going to…" He started to hit his fist on the stone wall of the light post but the treatment had other plans, sending him into another fit of pain and gagging.

"Come on" she threw his arm over her shoulder and dragged him up the drive to the house, it was a rough journey for both but Trisha's sheer stubbornness kept her going.

It was black as pitch and the light only made obstacles darker. Alex's feet slipped out from under him and nearly dragged them both down as the rain fell harder, pelting them both and drenching them to the bone.

"Just a bit further, come on." She grunted and made it to the door, she rang the bell and propped Alex, who was only semi-conscious, up on her shoulder and hip before hitting the bell again and banging on the door.

"Come on, come on!" she whispered.

"Yes, what is it?" male voice came from the other side of the door, "Please I…" she cut off as Alex began to fall, the last fit having sent him into a major nose bleed and paleness and she leaned on the door to catch him, not expecting the door to open as she leaned, sending bot her and Alex onto the floor and half inside.

"Help" She gasped and pulled herself up, "My friend is hurt and sick."

The man was a practically a giant, 6'5 at least with bulging muscles dressed in pink weight lifting gear.

"Please, we need help."

The man ducked down and picked up Alex like he was nothing before hauling up Trisha by the hand and closing the door. "Come in, quickly" he told her and led her into the house and down a set of wide wooden stairs. In the mean time she got a good look at the man and swallowed.

 _Damn_

She loved Alex, she truly did but despite this being a possible life or death situation she couldn't help but admire the man's physique.

As she entered the house she was struck by a sudden sense of paranoia, what if the man recognized them?

Impossible, he never saw their faces.

What if he recognized their voices?

She never spoke during the invasion but Alex had, loudly and clearly.

So there was no way for him to recognize her, but he just might recognize Alex. But it was a chance they would have to take.

"Frank" The muscle man called and an old balding man in a wheel chair rolled forward and caught sight of them.

Oh Dear God, they had paralyzed the man.

"I think these young people need help."

The large man cradled Alex like a child, long streams of watery blood standing out from his skin with was pale as death.

Patricia, while not as bad as Alex who had been brought to the brink of death and back again, did look like hell as well. Her long brown hair was drenched and clung to her face, neck, and back, as did her dress with was positively dripping. She had fresh bruises and bleeding welts on her arms and legs from the beating she took as well as being jerked around so harshly and cuts and scrapes up her legs and hands from stumbling to support Alex and falling every once in a while.

"My, my, my, what on earth happened to you two?" the man in the wheel chair asked sympathetically and Trisha stepped forward, being the best for the job.

"The Police, two policemen. They dragged us out of the city and attacked us in the woods."

The way the man stared at them gave Trisha a hint of fear, it was the stare of a madman, and she would know. Thunder rolled outside and the man's sinister expression did not change.

"I know you!"

 _Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit._

Trisha braced herself to grab Alex and run before the man continued.

"Isn't it your picture in the newspapers? Didn't I see you this morning on the video? Are you not the poor victim of this horrible new technique?"

Trisha's body went limp from relief.

"Yes! That's just who I am!"

"And what he is!" she cut in, "I have witnessed the effects of this so called treatment and I can say for a fact it is a cruel and inhumane practice, sir! This boy is a victim!"

The man's speech became frenzied as he rolled forward.

"Then, by God, you have been sent here by providence! Tortured in prison, then thrown out to be tortured by the Police!" Trisha nodded and took Alexander's hand.

"My heart goes out to you, poor, poor boy. Oh, you two are not the first to come here in distress. The Police are fond of bringing their victims to the outskirts of this village. But it is providential that you, who are also another kind of victim, should come here." He suddenly took in their appearances "But you're both cold and shivering. Julian, draw a bath for this young man and this lovely girl"

Trisha stepped forward, "not for me sir, But I am humbled by your hospitality. But I wonder if you have a phone I might use to call a cab, If the cabs run out this far?"

Julian carried Alex away and left Trisha alone with the man now known as Frank.

"I'm afraid no cabs run out this far, and not at this late hour." Frank shook his head and Trisha sighed. "Then I suppose I'd have to walk back to town to get home." She looked over her shoulder. "But I'm afraid Alexander is not fit enough for even that."

Another thunderhead boomed and Frank shook his head, "I'm afraid I would not advise going out in this weather, and not soaking wet as you are." He took a look at her determined features and sighed. "However if you must go, I insist you stay for a few minutes and have a glass of brandy to warm your bones, then you may take an umbrella if you still wish to leave before morning."

She smiled, "Thank you Mr…"

"Alexander, Franklin Alexander." He shook her hand.

"Patricia Van Cartier"

He thought, "I know that name from somewhere."

"I write a column in the Daily Gazette." He snapped his fingers,

"Yes, that is it."

He looked around, "I wonder, since you have seen the effects of this horrid treatment first hand. You would consider answering a few questions for me. I am writing a paper against the thing."

Trisha nodded, "Sir, if it stops that horrendous treatment, I'll do anything."

So they sat and Trisha answered all his questions that she could.

"When did you first see the effects of the treatment outside of the demonstration at the institute?"

"At Alexander's Parents' flat. There was a lodger living there in Alex's old room and he was exceptionally rude. Alex attempted to strike him but he collapsed in a fit of pain and retched like he would be sick."

Mr. Alexander wrote this down.

"However it's not just doing violence that sets it off, it's seeing violence or even wishing to do violence as well."

"Can you give any examples?"

"Well at the Flat I stood up for Alex and the Lodger continued to be awful. In a rage I slapped him across the face and Alex ran from the flat with the same reaction. Then when the police were dragging us through the woods, Alex continued to be sick even though he did not lash out."

They paused and Trisha looked around, "I think the rain has stopped sir."

Mr. Alexander nodded. "Of course, it is a straight shot down the road for about eight kilometers before you get to town. There you should be able to get a cab." He rolled away from the desk. "I still insist you take an umbrella and a flashlight though."

"You're very kind, I can't thank you enough for helping us." Trisha took the red umbrella and a large Lantern light he offered her.

"Please tell Alex I should be back in little over an hour. He'll be furious but He'll deal" She bade the man farewell and started off.

It was about an hour walk into town, but she hoped she might be able to grab a sympathetic driver. It was still raining but not as bad as it had been, and the lantern was very strong.

As she walked she thought, and she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt overcome her. This man, while undoubtedly strange, had been so kind to them. And no matter what she could not shake what she and the boys had done to him.

Suddenly she thought, where was his wife?

There was a woman there two years ago, a pretty redhead. Where was she now?

She shook her head firmly.

Stop this, she thought, that was two years ago, you've been good since then. You haven't done a bad deed in two years that life is behind you now, it's dead.

But still she couldn't shake the guilt she felt, how many of Alex's old nights out had she gone on?

Five?

Seven?

Ten?

Break ins, brawls, assaults, raising Cain where ever they went.

Now that she thought about it, it seemed nothing but a miracle that she had never been arrested, or even caught by any authority. She blamed that on Alex, who always seemed to know what to do, where to go, what to say.

Alex could make anyone like him if he wanted, He had that sort of air around him. He would play people, but only for a certain amount of time before they start to catch on, He learned that the hard way with the Droogs.

Halfway down the road there was a horn behind her and the sound of a car pulling over. She turned and shielded her eyes as a stranger got out of a small car, "you alright miss?"

"I'm fine! But I could use a ride into town, if you're headed that way." She replied and the stranger beckoned her closer.

"I'm just headed that way myself."

As she got closer she suddenly wished she hadn't as the face came into focus.

"Oh" she frowned and put her hand down. "It's you."

Pete stood before her in a casual outfit. "Trisha? What are you doing out here?"

"I'm headed home, I got stuck outside of town and had to walk back."

"Well, get in the car and I'll drive you." Pete motioned and she hummed, not quite trusting him. The last pair of former friends she met tried to kill her, but Pete was decent people.

"Alright, thanks." She closed the umbrella and turned off the light before climbing in the car.

"So, How have you been?" he asked awkwardly.

"Alright."

"Did you see the paper?"

"Yeah."

Pete stayed silent for a moment, "You're still mad, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Right" he nodded as they rolled into town.

"I am sorry you know"

"Just because you're sorry doesn't mean I forgive you for betraying your friend to the police." She said plainly. But she sighed and glanced at him, he looked different.

He looked older now, and normal. His hair had been cut and he talked much more now.

"How have you been Pete?"

"Alright, got a Job, rented a flat. Normal stuff. I saw you've started writing for the Gazette"

She nodded, "yup."

Pete paused a second, "and uh… for what it's worth, I'm sorry about your pops. I wanted to call you but I thought you might..."

"It's alright." She nodded. "I guess when you live on Whiskey, fatty meats, and pipe smoke life catches up with you."

"Same address as before?"

She chuckled slightly, "you remember my Address?"

"I remember a lot of things." He turned into the neighborhood and pulled up to her house.

"Thanks for the ride Pete." She nodded. "And uh, if you… if you ever need anything. I don't know newspaper-wise, give me a call."

Pete smiled a little and waved before driving away into the rain, and she entered the house. She still had forty five minutes to kill but she wanted to get back soon.

But it couldn't hurt to take the time to change out of wet clothes before she caught her death of cold.

All the help had gone home for the night so she went upstairs to change quickly, completely unaware of that was going on just outside of town.


	10. Chapter 10

**Another big thanks to guest reviewer Juliet! And a Giant Thank You and Wow to user MIssFemm Thanks for the helpful critique I will take that into consideration! I hope you enjoy the chapter! Thanks again for reviewing!**

Trisha was back on the road before dawn but the light on the horizon began to grow brighter and brighter. She unfortunately hit the early morning traffic and sighed in frustration.

"Come on, come _on!"_ she hit the horn and gripped the wheel as the line began to move again, "It's more like it"

The Traffic cleared as she exited down and drove for Mr. Alexander's house, having wasted over two hours in traffic.

Alex must have been worried sick. But as she approached the house she heard music blaring even as she pulled in.

"What on earth?" Trisha got out and made for the front door. "Mr. Alexander?" she knocked harder to be heard over the Music. "Mr. Alexander?"

Suddenly there was a crash, like something wet and heavy being throw from a high place and she rounded the house to find something that made her heart stop. Time seemed to slow down around her and her breath caught in her lungs painfully, refusing to be freed. She stood like a statue as her brain struggled and reeled, trying to take in what had just happened and overwhelmed to the point of almost shutting down completely.

Alex, spread out in a growing pool of red blood. His limbs were twisted and bent in unnatural ways and his hair was soaked and matted with gore.

"Oh my God!" she screamed and darted for him and landed roughly on her knees, "Alex! Alex! Can you hear me?" she asked and he only whimpered softly in reply.

"Alexander, don't move! Do you hear me Do not move whatever you do. I'm going to go call an ambulance." She ran for the front door and began to bang harder this time.

"Mr. Alexander! Let me in! Please, Help!" the door was opened by a strange woman in a pantsuit and the girl shoved past her, running down the hall and stairs to find Mr. Alexander, Julian, and A strange man sitting around a high tech sound system blaring Beethoven.

"Mr. Alexander! It's Alex, he's..." she stopped, the music so loud it was barely able to be comprehended but it struck her.

Beethoven.

The ninth.

"Mother fu..." she began to curse but remembered she didn't have enough time to wait, deciding to deal with the wheelchair bound man late she darted.

There was a phone in the kitchen and she ran for it. Julian met her, ready to stop her and she ran into his arm as she tried to pass and held her in a crushing grip to his chest. "Let me go, we need to call an ambulance, quickly!"

He tried to stop her struggling and as she clawed at his muscly arms she thrashed and wiggled violently, landing a few good blows. She cried out in pain as she felt a sudden, sharp pain by her shoulder and down her arm.

"You let me go!" Trisha screamed and raked her nails down his wrists leaving thing lines that began to bleed, still he didn't budge until she managed to squirm her way down so his forearm was by her face and she twisted her neck biting into the skin of his arm as hard as she could.

He cried out and she took advantage to slip out and snatch up the long, used kitchen knife sitting of the counter as he snatched her wrist.

"Stop it!" she held the knife to him, daring him to come for her, streams of blood at the corner of her lips where Julian's arm had met with her teeth and a wild, almost savage look in her eyes.

"I…am calling… the police." She panted, "And an ambulance"

He released her with his hands raised and she trembling reached for the phone, struggling to grip of receiver, and dialed the number.

They would be there soon, the operator said after she gave the address and situation. Trisha hung up but didn't let go of the knife, circling the counter away from Julian how waited for her to let her guard down in some way.

She didn't stop watching him until she was at the doorway and darted out and for the front door. Around the house she found Alex as she had left him, the man and woman who were strangers to her left in a new shiny car.

She sat beside him, a pool of blood spreading and staining her stockings and skirt.

"Alex, can you hear me?"

Alex moaned and she pressed her fingers to his throat, he was just barely alive.

"Just keep listening to me Alex," she leaned in towards him, "Just keep listening to my voice my love. You have to stay with me now." She touched his hair and gently stroked in where there was no blood. She began to cry and wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry Alex, I should have come sooner. I should have been here to protect you." She spoke to him as a large white ambulance began to pull up into the drive and she stood and yelled and waved her arms for them to come over there.

A hoard of medics brought a stretcher and gently but quickly lifted Alex up.

"I have to stay with him!" she began to run after them but was stopped by two paramedics. "Please I have to make sure he's okay!"

"We'll do all we can miss, but you have to come with us." They led her to a police car where an officer waited with a shiny, metallic blanket which was tucked over her shoulders as she was made to duck in to the back of the car.

They drove to the hospital, a giant place that smelled entirely of cleaning solution, and Alex was immediately taken into surgery, a team of doctors and nurses flocking around the gurney while Trisha was escorted to normal looking examination room with a clip board to sign out for Alex.

She was also attended to despite her protests, as it would turn out George's beating had done quite a bit of damage, but the pressure Julian had put on her had only worsened it and caused a full break in her collar bone and a hair line fracture down her upper arm.

She went into surgery and came out rather quickly with the bone reattached, an ugly, gruesome looking wound stitched up and stapled shut with a layer of gauze over it, and a sling over her shoulder.

The media had caught wind of the news that the recently cured boy had suffered an "accident" and was now in the hospital. Trisha herself being assured that Alex would live and make a full recovery, Sat down to a media press conference and told them about the effect of the treatment and how it was to blame for Alex's injuries.

And to her delight, as she sat in her Parlor reading the paper and sipping her hot town, Trisha found that the media immediately began crucifying the doctors, prison warden, and the government for allowing the treatment to occur.

Two days later she received a phone call from Mrs. DeLarge.

"He's awake?" she shot up from the table, causing the maid holding the phone to jump.

"Just last night dear, we're going down to see him this morning and thought you would like to know."

"Yes! Yes, thank you Mrs. DeLarge I will be right down!" she hung up and turned to the maid.

"Are you going somewhere Ma'am?"

"Yes, the hospital." She downed the rest of her tea and made for the stairs in a fast pace.

"Wait, Ma'am! You'll need help dressing!" the maid ran after her.

She could only wear loose fitting things for a while, easy to get in and out of without much pain. A loose fitting white dress and a string of white and cream pearls long enough to hang down between her breasts, usually a summer color but she was so happy she felt like it was the only color to express it.

"Ma'am, at least take a wrap with you! It's still autumn out there!" The maid insisted and handed her grey coat to throw on as she rushed out the door to the driver who waited for her. Her injury prevented her from driving properly so she simply relayed the order to him and sat in the back seat as they zoomed down the city streets.

Trisha met with Alex's Parents at the front door and rushed into the room where Alex still lay, half asleep.

"Alex?" she whispered and stood over him, on the opposite side from Mr. and Mrs. DeLarge.

"Alexander?"

His eyes fluttered open slightly and he looked around, unable to move his head or neck. Both his arms and legs were bound in plaster casts, as was his left shoulder. There was a large bandage tapped down his chest with a speck of blood on it where they had to fix his broken ribs and injured lungs. And His head was wrapped in plaster casting with a metal brace on each side so he could not move.

Patricia was so grateful she couldn't speak, and it took everything in her not to laugh.

"Hello Lad"

"Hello Son," Em leaned over him, "How are you feeling?"

"Are you feeling better?" P asked and Alex stared at him with a looked at was anything but sympathetic.

"What… Gives? Oh my p and em." Alex's breath was slightly labored "What makes…you think… you're welcome?"

Mrs. Delarge began to sniffle and hid her face in her handkerchief. "There, there mother he doesn't mean it." P hushed her. "You were in the papers again son."

"It said they had done great wrong to you. It said how the government drove you to try and do yourself in… and if you think about it son, maybe it was our fault to, in a way. Your home's your home when it's all said and done son."

Alex didn't say a word and they soon left before the bedridden boy noticed the third figure in the room, now standing over him with a look of slight disapproval, a hardy amount of relieve, and love.

"Is this an angel…I see before me?" He asked with a pained smiled. "Come to… wing me off to…heaven?"

She pulled up a chain and sat right next to the bed so he could still look up at her.

"Why is it, whenever I leave you alone with someone you always end up worse for wear?" she reached forward and brushed a hair off his plaster shell. Alex smiled a little.

"Logic would dictate…that you should… never leave me." He swallowed. "That way…I'd stop getting hurt." He eyed her sling and cast and frowned questioningly.

"Just a few broken bones my Love." She shook her head and pulled the coat on tighter so he wouldn't see the ugly staples that looked like grotesque stitching across her skin.

"Ole' Georgie boy really did a number on you huh?" he swallowed for breath, "did he… you know…?

"No." she shook her head thankfully, "He couldn't"

Alex smirked a little. "Knew it."

"Course you did Love." She laughed and leaned forward to kiss his forehead.

"So, how to you feel?" she asked, "I mean are you still…?"

Alex had begun to breathe slightly easier now, but the stitches down his chest were still tender with every rising breath

"I don't know. I don't feel anything. Then again I don't feel too horrorshow either."

"I think the Doctors will be ready to get that thing off your head soon." Trisha told him.

"You really scared me Alex. I don't think I've ever been that frightened by anything in my entire life." She rubbed his bare shoulder. "I thought for sure I was going to lose you." She felt her eyes prickle and she quickly wiped them but couldn't keep the hitch out of her voice.

"I just heard you fall, and there was so much Blood and your body was just…" she covered her mouth and shook her head as if to banish the dreadful thoughts. "I was so afraid Alexander."

She didn't bother asking why he did because she knew, it was the music they had been playing full blast.

"He found me out." Alex explained, "I suppose. But not to worry my dearie, I'll be fit as dodgers soon." He smirked a little, "and then, we'll have a proper celebration."

She laughed as he wiggled his brows in an exaggerated manner.

"When this is all over, we'll both go home. Everything is ready for you." She ran her hand up and down his bicep and shoulder, the only bare skin she could reach. "Da left me a good deal of money, enough to last. The house is all paid off, and I have my writing." She smiled softly.

"I've started writing about the treatment, about what happened." She confessed, "I think after those interviews with the reporters I realized how much good I can do now. If people knew what you went through then they wouldn't let it happen again."

A week later Alex was able to sit up but not stand yet, and Trisha visited him every single day bringing with her a portable typewriter and a stack of paper.

They agreed not to mention Trisha's crimes as it would destroy her reputation, but they did write about her relationship with Alex and the Droogs. Of course they would have to change some names for legal reasons, but it was coming together nicely for a rough draft.

However they still couldn't figure out if Alex was still "cured" or not. They were both too afraid to find out.

They would sit for hours, talking and writing until one day a cheery, purple haired woman walked in with a cart baring a strange looking machine.

"Good morning." She said brightly and the duo eyed her.

"Good morning missus."

"And how are we today?"

"Fine, fine."

"Good, may I?" she swiped the newspaper off Alex's lap. "I'm Doctor Taylor."

Alex watched her carefully. "Never seen you before."

"I'm your psychiatrist." She said quickly and Trisha hummed.

"Psychiatrist? Do I need one?" Alex questioned

"Popular opinion says yes." Trisha deadpanned and Alex shot her scolding look.

"It's just part of hospital procedure" the doctor assured them both.

"Should I leave then?" Trisha began to get up but the doctor shook her head.

"No need miss, as long as you remain quiet"

"What are we gonna do? Talk about me sex life? You'd enjoy that wouldn't you sweetheart?" Alex said only half joking and turned toward Trisha as best he could and Trisha eyed him reproachfully.

"Alexander" She drew out his name and he rolled his eyes.

"Only joking, love."

"I'm going to show you some slides, and you're going to tell me what you think of them. Alright?" The doctor explained.

"Jolly Good. Say doctor, do you know anything about dreams?"

"Somethings, yes" she began to set up the machine.

"Do you know what they mean?"

"Perhaps, something you're concerned about?" she asked

"No, no, not concerned really. But I've been having this really nasty dream, very nasty. It like uh…" he wet his lips. "when I was all smashed up and unconscious like, I kept having this dream where like all these doctors were playing around with me Gulliver, like the inside of me brain. And I kept having this dream over and over again. Do you think it could mean something?"

The nurse paused and glanced at Trisha a moment before chuckling, "patients who sustain the injuries you have often have dreams of this sort. It's all part of the recovery process." She assured him.

"Oh"

"Now then, each of these slides needs a reply from one of the people in the picture. You'll tell me what you think the person would say. Alright?" The nurse prepared him and Alex nodded.

Trisha stopped her work to watch with interest.

The first slide was of two man and a peacock.

"Isn't the plumage beautiful?"

Alex thought, "And I'm just supposed to saw what the other person would say?"

"Yes."

Alex scrunched up his face and the nurse laughed.

"Well don't think about it too long, just say the first thing that pops into your head."

Trisha stifled a scoff, oh this was going to be interesting.

"Uh, Cabbages…knickers…. It's not got a beak" Alex spat out and Trisha covered up a smile, trying to remain serious but that didn't stop Alex from laughing as the nurse turned to the next slide.

"Good," The nurse flipped the slide, "the boy you always quarreled with is seriously Ill."

"My mind is a blank, eh..."

"Nothing new there."

"shh, you have to be quiet remember?" Alex hushed Trisha before thinking suddenly.

"I'll smash your face for you, yarblockos." Trisha covered her mouth, not because she disapproved but because Alexander had a violent thought and wasn't ill.

Time for the next slide. A picture of a nude woman in bed and a man on a ladder outside her window.

"What do you want?"

"No time for the in an' out love, I've just come to read the meter." Alex said without thinking.

"You sold me a crummy watch, I want my money back."

"You know what you can do with that watch? Stick it up your arse!" Alex laughed and Trisha grinned.

"Good" the Nurse flipped to the next slide. "You can do whatever you like with these." It was a picture of a woman giving a man eggs.

"Eggiwegs. I would like to smash 'em. Pick up the lot and f... owww...!" he yelped as he brought his hand down, forgetting it was broken and cradled it in his good hand. "Fucking Hell"

"Well, that's all there is to it" The nurse began to pack up, and Trisha immediately began to fuss over the boy in the bed's hand which has cracked sickeningly.

Alex tried to bat Trisha off with incoherent muttering " Dammit woman I'm _Fine!_ " he hissed and she sat back up with a pout.

"Are you alright?"

"Hope so, is that it then?"

"Yes."

"I was rather enjoying that."

"Good! I'm Glad!"

"How many did I get right?"

"It's not that kind of a test," the nurse smiled. "But you seem well on your way to making a complete recovery."

"Isn't that grand?" Trisha rubbed his shoulder.

"When do I get out of here then?"

"I'm sure it won't be long now." The nurse left them and Trisha watched her go before turning to Alex.

"Alex did you see what just happened?"

"What?"

Trisha laughed. "You had a violent thought! You slammed your hand down, you thought about sex! And you didn't get sick!" Alex thought and grinned from ear to ear.

"There's only one way to find out for sure." He eyed her and she looked over her shoulder at the door. "True but we don't have the time and neither of us are in the proper condition." She circled to the other side of the bed.

"Let me see your hand." She took his good hand and knelt down before allowing it to snake down the front of her dress.

Alex willingly groped about, even after it was apparent that the "cure" had worn off and Trisha was so caught up in the lovely feeling she had not experienced in two years that they were almost walked in on by a nurse carrying a tray of food who rushed in as Alex's heart monitor sped up.

"Visiting hours are almost over Miss, you'll have to leave so the patient can rest." The nurse informed her and Trisha nodded, readjusting her blouse before leaning forward and Kissing Alex firmly and feverishly.

"Gently darling, gently." Alex whispered between kisses as she kissed his jaw but lingered dangerously close to his neck brace with her hand resting on his bare chest, suddenly the heart rate monitor spiked making the poor nurse jump and eye Trisha disapprovingly.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry" she said sheepishly and she kissed him one last time before packing away her type writer and leaving the hospital reluctantly, but happy as a clam that the cure had worn off.

Her driver waited with the door open for her as she slid in drove her back to the large house she hoped she would soon be sharing.


	11. Chapter 11

After discovering the horrendous "cure" was no longer controlling him Alex was in much better spirits and he soon took a larger part in Trisha's writing, giving long detailed descriptions of what it felt like when the treatment took effect.

"It was like having an oozhassny fever and breaking every bone in your body at the same time." Alex said she transcribed his words on a paper tablet. "When it happened I couldn't viddy straight, I either went completely blind or everything went all fuzzy-wuz."

"What about emotionally?" Trisha looked up from the pad and over the rim of a pair of reading glasses she had reluctantly purchased. As it would turn out according to her doctors her vision was slightly less that satisfactory and would have to wear them for reading and writing at least.

But she did so with bitter muttering about how the oversized rims made her look silly and bug eyed. But that being said they did cut down on headaches from straining her eyes too much.

"I look buggy" she complained when Alex first saw them and in an instant started laughing. "I look like a damn librarian."

Alex leaned back.

"I don't know how to govereet it properly." He frowned, "I was always spoogy something awful was about to happen to me."

"Did it start off that way?"

"No, at first I didn't viddy much of a difference." Alex watched her write, "I still felt meself, if only a little bit ill. But as soon as it nachinats I never wanted it to happen again. I was afraid anything would set it off."

Trisha nodded and frowned as her pen began to run out of ink, shaking it sharply and finishing the transcription.

"How much do we have?" Alex asked as she flipped the pad closed and tucked the pen behind her ear.

"Counting today? We have just over twenty five pages." She sighed pulled her glassed off and rubbing her eyes with her good hand.

She had dedicated herself to this paper, interviewing doctors, psychiatrists, any one she could to get professional opinions on its morality and effectiveness. It had come with several late times and early mornings and even all-nighters editing and rewriting. And still managing to complete every usual newspaper column on time, no matter how tired she was.

Her grey eyes now bloodshot she yawned and popped her fingers, trying to stay awake.

"I think it's really coming along"

"You're exhausted." Alex stated and she smiled.

"Yes, but it's a good kind of exhaustion. I don't think I've ever worked this hard on something in my life."

Alex wanted to scold her but said nothing, instead reveled in the glow of her new sense of purpose. She was constantly tired yes, but now always seemed to be in a good mood. Unless some doctor or politician has dropped their appointment that is.

"Good Evening you two." A perky nurse named Dawn entered. She was late thirties with a sweet sunny glow around her and had become Alex's regular day nurse, always greeting them both with her charming cockney accent.

And along the way she had bonded with Trisha as well, the two chatted when Alex's pain medications put him to sleep or if Trisha came in too early in the morning and hadn't woken up yet.

"Still slaving away I see." She noted Trisha holding the pad and she shook her head. "You're going to work yourself into the ground Miss."

"The only person in the world to be both slavedriver and slave." Alex agreed and Trisha stuck out her tongue, "Leave me be. It's for a good cause."

"I should say so." Dawn set down a tray of supper over Alex's lap.

"I think it's very brave what you two are doing." She began to cut up the food. "But aren't you afraid of what might happen if you publish it? I mean with all those stories about people…disappearin' and such. Cause the government doesn't like what they say."

Alex smirked, "Don't you worry about her, little sister. She revels in the attention." He took a bite, chewing every carefully before swallowing with some difficulty in the neck brace.

"Besides, if any chelloveck tried to kidnap _her_ , in five minutes they'd walk right up to the constable, hand her over and say." Alex contorted his face into one of fear and pain. "I'm Sorry! Truly I am, Take me away officers! Lock me up and throw away the key! Just make her stop _talking"_

Dawn laughed lightly and Trisha blithely struck his plaster cast with a rolled up paper.

"Dawn, I think it's time you lower the dosage on those pain meds. He's starting to feel too good for my liking."

Dawn fed Alex while Trisha began to edit Alex's dictation, unsure if she would translate Alex's teenage slang or keep it as is.

The sound of footsteps echoed off the walls and down the hall, causing them all to look up and tilt their heads slightly to see who was coming. Trisha looked over the rim of her glasses and couldn't help but marvel.

"I'll be damned."

The minister, the head doctor, and the hospital matron entered as Trisha put aside the writing pad and took off the glasses.

"It seemed I've arrived just as the patient is eating supper" The Minister clasped his hands behind his back.

"That's quite alright Minister, no trouble at all" the head doctor assured him as they arrived at the foot of the hospital bed.

"Good evening my boy." The minister smiled and Alex smiled politely.

"Hi, hi, hi there my little droogies."

The doctor nodded to Patricia formally, "Miss. Van Cartier."

Trisha nodded back but did not smile half as brightly as Alex did, "Doctor, Missus, Mr. Minister."

"Well how are you getting on today young man?"

"Great sir! Great!"

The Head Doctor turned, "can I do anything more for you Minister?" He asked and the minister shook his head. "I don't think so, Sir Leslie. Thank you very much."

"Right then, I'll leave you to it." The Doctor nodded at Dawn, "Nurse."

The Doctor, Dawn, and the head Matron left and Trisha looked at Alex.

"Would you like me to wait outside?"

"No, no, sweetheart." Alex shook his head. "I don't mind. Minister?"

The man shook his head, "Perfectly fine, I'm sure you'll find this interesting as well Miss. Uh… what was it again?"

Trisha stood and leaned on the frame of Alex's Hospital bed, putting herself on equal footing with the Minister. "Patricia Van Cartier, Sir."

"Miss. Van Cartier." He smiled and nodded before looking around.

"It seems you have the whole ward to yourself my boy."

"Yes sir." Alex chewed as Trisha took the place of the Nurse and began to eat him. "And a very lonely place it is to sir. When I wake up in the night with me pain."

Trisha nodded. "I try to be with him all I can sir, but visiting hours do have an end, unfortunately."

"Yes well" the minister paced uncomfortably, "good to see you on the mend, I've kept in constant touch with the hospital of course, and now I've come personally to see how you're getting on."

"I've suffered the tortures of the damned sir." Alex took another bite offered by Trisha, "the tortures of the damned."

"Too true" Trisha dabbed his lips with the napkin, "The medication helps sir, and of course Sleep is a fine escape, but…" she tsked and shook her head.

"Yes, I can appreciate that you've had quite a traumatic past few weeks." The minister agreed as Trisha raised a glass to Alex's lips.

The minister continued, "I can tell you that I... and the Government of which I am a member are deeply sorry about this, my boy. Deeply sorry."

"Hm." Trisha sniffed, enough to make the minister eye her uneasily and Alex patted her hand through his heavy cast.

"Now now dear, let's hear the man out" Alex nodded to the minister to continue and the man nodded gratefully.

"We tried to help you. We followed recommendations had been made to us that turned out to be wrong. An enquiry will place the responsibility where it belongs" The minister continued as Trisha continued to feed Alex and listen carefully.

"We want you to regard us as friends. We've put you right, you're getting the best of treatments. We never wished you harm, but there are some that did and do, and I think you know who those are"

"Oh I think recent events have given us a pretty good idea, don't you dear?" Trisha cut in and Alex nodded. "Certainly."

"Yes well…" the minister swallowed. "There are certain people who wanted to use you for political ends. People who would have been glad to have you dead because then they would have been able to blame it all on the Government."

"There is also a certain man, a writer of subversive literature, who has been howling for your blood."

"Goodness." Trisha feigned shocked, "you mean that man in that large house?"

"I'm afraid so miss, He's been mad with desire to stick a knife in Mr. DeLarge here." he motioned to Alex, "but not to worry, not to worry. He had been put away for his own protection. And of course for the protection of Mr. DeLarge."

Trisha nodded, satisfied.

"You see, we are looking after your interests." The minister said, as if he had proven his point. "We are interested in you, and when you leave here you will have no further worries. A good Job, on a Good Salary."

"What Job?" Alex asked, "And how much?"

"You see Mister Minister, not to seem ungrateful" Trisha began. "But Alex will not have to worry about all that. You see my father left me a trust fund, and a goodly amount of money, not to mention that the house and car is already paid off. And I bring in a fair bit with my writing, even more if my latest project goes the way I think it will. You're gift, while generous, is not needed" She reasoned.

"Now Patricia that's not fair dear." Alex once again played good cop, "I'm prepared to supply for you I am, when I'm all healed. As a man ought to."

The minister nodded approvingly and eyed Trisha as she shrugged in defeat. "Alright dear, it's your call."

"Sorry about her sir." Alex smiled, "She's just a bit cagey around things the Government offers now."

"Yes, I understand. Anyway you must have an interesting job at a salary which you would regard as adequate. Not only for the job which you are going to do and in compensation for what you believe you have suffered, but also because you are helping us."

"Helping you sir?" Alex questioned and the minister smiled pointedly.

"We always help our friends, don't we? It is no secret that the Government has lost a lot of popularity because of you, my boy. There are some that think that at the next election we shall be out. The press has chosen to take a very unfavorable view of what we tried to do."

"And who can blame them sir." Trisha spoke up, nodding to the note pad on the table. "You see my latest project, it's all about the treatment, and its effectiveness…" she eyed him, "or rather… ineffectiveness"

The minister went pale. "Oh…really?"

"Oh yes sir, you see after Alex went away I found I was rather good at writing. And now that I have something very, very important that I have witnessed firsthand well…" Trisha shrugged, and smirked knowingly.

The minister eyed Alex with eyed that said **_help me_** and Alex shrugged sheepishly, a gestured that said _what do you want_ _ **me**_ _to do?_

"Not to mention the many interviews I've had with doctors and the like about the treatment. Got to have professional opinions to be credible yes?"

The minister swallowed, "y-yes, I suppose. I uh, who all have you spoken to May I ask?"

"Oh, couldn't say sir." Trisha shook her head, "privilege and all."

The minister seemed to tremble and Trisha eyed Alex who nodded, Time to go in for the kill.

"But still, it's not finished." She sighed, "Still a ton to do, editing and rewrites and such. Hell, it might not even make it out of the first draft." She eyed him meaningfully.

The minister seemed to understand exactly what she implied and nodded.

"I see, as I was saying Alex…may I call you Alex?"

"Of course sir."

"As I was saying, Alex, you can be instrumental in changing the public verdict. You _both_ can. Do you understand" He eyed them both, "Have I made myself clear?"

Alex and Trisha shared a look, before looking back at the Minister with matching grins.

"As an unmuddied Lake sir." Alex nodded. "As clear as an azure sky in deepest summer. You can count on us."

The Minister's shoulders when slack, "Good, Good. Thank you both."

He smiled a little, "and Alex. I understand you're fond of music. I've arranged a little surprise for you."

"Surprise Sir?"

"A surprise, a gift to show an understanding…between three friends." The Minister stressed the end in stormed dozen of people, mostly photographers and journalists. But also a few men setting up a sound system and before they knew it the room was loudly filled with Beethoven's ninth.

"I'll get out of the shot then." Trisha smirked and Alex stopped her with his good hand.

"Not Camera shy, are you love?"

She sighed. "I write the news Alex, I'm never in It." she kissed his hand and got out of the shot, but not before a few photographers captured the moment.

Alex was joined by the minister and hundreds of pictures where taken and a few journalists even tried to get a quote from Trisha but she shook her head and simply muttered.

"No comment"

And as soon as the impromptu press conference was over, the minister eyed the two once more.

"I hope we remain friends you two, have a lovely night."

"You as well Minister" Trisha waved until he left the ward before turning to Alex with a giddy look on her face.

"What did we just do?"

"We, my darling," Alex took her hand, "just hit the sodding jackpot."

She laughed and leaned on the hospital bed, "still, it's sort of a shame. I worked really hard on that paper."

"Oh, I don't think it will matter much love. I think they might just retire that old treatment"

"You think?"

"Oh yes, could you imagine if the government had to cut a deal like that with every bratchney and veck who threw themselves out a window trying to snuff it?" Trisha sat on the very edge of the hospital bed.

"No my dear, I don't viddy them seeing into that rabbit again."

Trisha suddenly laughed. "Did you see his face when I told him about the paper?" she giggled and Alex smirked and nodded. "I thought he was going to faint."

Alex laughed as well, "and then he looks at me as if I can do anything."

"Eh, maybe it was all your macho posturing made the minister think you could reign me in."

Alex scoffed, "If that is his idea that he's an arse, and if that is the mind of the government then the government is a bachelor!"

"So" She ran her fingers through his hair thoughtfully, "looks like your future is all set huh? Career, home…looks like some things might be changing a bit." She felt a knot grow in her stomach, the cure was over and Alex was back to his old self.

Would he be able to live normally?

"I know what you're thinking…" Alex said in a sing song voice, "And don't you shilarny your Gulliver about all that dear, I'm not stupid."

"I know you're not" She kissed his forehead, "far from it, just think in a few months you'll be healed, sore maybe but healed. And we'll be out of here, you and me."

"Until then we'll have to find a new way to occupy ourselves other than plot against the government," Alex muttered and Trisha laughed and nodded.

"True, true but I've brought something I think will take up some of our time." She bent down and grabbed up her large bag, "Remember how, two years ago, I told you if you read Marquise De Sade's work I would listen to a Beethoven symphony."

"Vaguely"

"Well sir, I just listened to a full hour of Beethoven's ninth, and now it's your turn." Trisha dug out three thick books from the bag, Alex moaned and rolled his eyes.

"How about you break my legs again and we'll call it square?"

"Oh hush you." She laid the books before him, "It won't hurt you to broaden your horizons outside of Beethoven and Shakespeare"

"You Love Shakespeare"

"Yes but that's not the point." She removed the food tray quickly. "Please Alexander, for me?"

Alex sighed but nodded, "Alright, but only because you won't shut up if I don't agree to it."

"Thank you Alex, you're a class act." She sat in the chair by the bed, "If it makes it any better I'll read it to you."

Alex thought and leaned back with a small smirk, "That would make it better."

"Very well then" she put back on her large reading glasses with a sigh and flipped to the first page.

"The One Hundred and Twenty Days of Sodom, by Marquise De Sade. Introduction, The extensive wars wherewith Louis XIV was burdened during his reign, while draining the State's treasury and exhausting the substance of the people, none the less contained the secret that led to the prosperity of a swarm of those bloodsuckers who are always on the watch for public calamities, which, instead of appeasing, they promote or invent so as, precisely, to be able to profit from them the more advantageously…."


	12. Chapter 12

**_Thanks to the Guest who reviewed and MissFemm on the previous chapter!_**

(Four Months Later)

Alex whined as Trisha helped him up from the bed. "I still don't viddy why I had to go to physical therapy for a broken leg" He muttered as he steadied himself.

"Two Legs and you didn't break them." Trisha looked up at him, forgetting momentarily that he was actually taller than her. "You _shattered_ them"

"Technically the ground shattered them"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up and take your pills" she handed him the small paper cup containing several colored tablets and capsules and Alex downed the pills and water quickly.

"Look at it this way at least you're not covered in plaster anymore." Trisha said cheerfully and slung her purse over her shoulder. "Can you believe it? You're finally getting out of here."

"I don't know." Alex whistled, "the last raz I stayed in a mesto this long when I got out I almost snuffed it"

"Well let's just keep you way from high places and I'm sure you'll be fine." Trisha assured him with a laugh as they approached the front desk where the head doctor and nurse waited for them.

"It's been a pleasure having you Mr. DeLarge." The doctor shook Alex's hand, "We hope to be seeing you soon…not _too_ soon of course."

"Not to worry doctor." Trisha cosigned the discharge documents. "I'll look after him"

 _However he might just give me a heart attack_ she mentally added as they finished a mountain of paperwork, most of which came from the government paying for Alex's treatments.

They even jumped in and paid for Trisha's surgery on her arm and collarbone, which had healed perfectly if not for the large unsightly scar along her shoulder.

"Well Darling." Trisha sat in the driver's seat of the car, "how does it feel to be an honest to God free man?"

Alex grinned and leaned his head back, face turned toward the canvas top of the car. He was completely silent for a moment, with just a giddy, silly grin spread across his face.

Trisha shook her head, allowing him to enjoy the silence and started the car before pulling out of the lot and hitting the road.

Before long though, she felt the undoubtedly recognizable sensation of a hand creeping up her leg.

"Alexander" she began, keeping both hands firmly on the wheel "you have waited for almost three years, I'm sure you can wait a few more minutes."

"You overestimate me, my love" Alex's hand got bolder and began to tug up the hem of Trisha's skirt.

"If you'll recall I can be a bit…impatient"

Trisha sighed and tried to brush his hand off, "Alex…please, you just got out of the hospital the last thing we need is a car wreck."

The danger of wrecking didn't halt the blonde's wandering fingers which resumed their work with more vigor and Trisha couldn't stop his hands and keep her eyes on the road at the same time, leaving her defenseless, and after a few minutes flushed.

"Eyes on the road darling." Alex said in a hushed tone as he teased her viciously, taking advantage of the many potholes and bumps in the poorly maintained streets until the girl was trembling.

"Alexander, please…"

"Now, now dear. You've fillied with me plenty on the road. It's only fair I do you the same favor odin or dva times." They hit a bump and Trisha swerved suddenly, a silent gasp etched across her face.

"Careful my love." Alex scolded her, "Suppose a Millicent were to tolchock on the okno because you lost control of the auto."

Trisha didn't answer and gritted her teeth behind bright pink cheeks until she pulled the car into the garage and scrambled out of the car as fast as she could.

But not fast enough for Alex who had her against the entry way before she could even close the garage door. As he ravaged the exposed skin of her neck Trisha fumbled with the house keys and finally got it open.

Alexander's weight sent her to the floor as soon as the door she had been pressed against opened. "Ow, ow. Alex… Alex!" She unlatched his lips from her neck. "Alex my shoulder, please!"

"Oh." Alex broke from his lust filled haze a moment and allowed her up, pulling himself up as well.

"Not hurt are you lo…"

He didn't get to finish as this time Trisha attacked him with equal intensity, tugging off his suit jacket and tie in record times as she nibbled up and down his neck and jaw.

"Patience, patience" Alex mimicked her teasingly and Trisha growled, throwing off her own coat.

"Oh fuck patience, I've had patience for over two years, I am sick to the teeth with patience!" Trisha gripped his arm and pulled him through the house, Alex struggling to keep up with her.

She had given all the staff the day off, and personally set up the bedroom to perfectly.

Fresh silk sheets, a quality selection of music set out, aged wine chilling in an aluminum bucket with two long stem glasses. She had planned to fix Alex a decent meal then dress in her finest set of delicates, she had envisioned everything.

However plans do change as they ended up instantly on the bed, clinging to each other desperately.

Nearly three years of abstinence were made up for in six hours.

It was mostly Alex in charge, Trisha giving him complete control and decided it was the best choice she ever made.

Granted, he did give her a scare a few times, if it seemed like he was going to bite her too hard, or grabbed her too roughly. Half way through her hands were bound to the head board with Alex's cast away neck tie and he leered at her with such an animalistic countenance that she felt a flicker of fear in her mind and almost stopped him…Almost.

Trisha came out of the fray bruised, sore, and glowing, a silly grin stretched across her face as she leaned against the headboard with a smoking cigarette pinched between two fingers.

Alexander stood at the foot of the bed, that familiar glint from years past shining in his eyes once again. He smirked at her and rounded the bed, taking the cig hanging from her lips and taking a drag slowly, savoring the taste.

Trisha sighed and stood up, headed for the stand with the chilled wine. However after a single step she felt her leg wobble and she clung to the bed post.

"Alright there love?" Alex watched her with pleased amusement as she nodded and struggled back to her feet after her knees buckled again.

"Awe, here Sweetheart" Alex laughed as she landed on her sore bum and winced slightly. "Come on, come on."

He pulled her up and sat her on the bed, stifling snickers as she squeaked.

"It's not funny Alex" she insisted as Alex popped the cork on the wine and poured her a glass.

"The way you creeched and crarked it's a miracle you can still govereet properly" Alex handed her the drink and sat beside her as she sipped, slipping his hand up her thigh.

"And what grahzney, choodessny things my sweet malenky devotchka govereets for me." He whispered with an eager grin as his lips ghosted across the battered skin of her shoulder and neck. "Real horrorshow."

Trisha sighed and turned her head to grant him greater access to her throat. "Alexander, darling?"

"Huh?" He hummed, lips firmly latched to her throat.

"I can hardly walk, maybe we should take a breather before you paralyze me." She set the drink aside. "You need to take your pills anyway."

Alex reluctantly agreed and fumbled in Trisha's purse for the prescription bottles, popping the pills before crawling on the bed and laying his head in her lap, relaxing as the girl ran her hand through his hair.

"Maybe I should go to prison more often" He muttered.

"Well, you rest and I'm going to go clean up." She slipped his head off her lap and tested her legs before making for the bathroom. A hot bath to rest her sore muscles was just want she needed as she turned on the hot water.

She gazed at herself in the large mirror over the sink and sighed. "I've got so many hickeys people'll think I'm a leper."

"Nothing you didn't ask for." Alex reminded her from the other room and she sighed, running her fingers over the discolored patches that ran up and down her entire body.

"There is not enough Concealer and foundation in the world to cover this up" she muttered under her breath.

She turned off the Hot water and sunk into the tub slowly, hissing as the water scalded her skin but at the same time relaxed every tense muscle.

"Comfortable?"

She glanced up and found Alex hovering in the bathroom doorway.

"Always" she sighed as Alex sunk to his knees and rested his chin on the white edge of the tub.

He took in the sight of her slowly.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?" she asked and Alex shrugged, "can you be more specific?"

"I mean, We have enough money to get by, even more coming in when and if you take that job the minister offered." She began, "The house is paid off, and so is the car. But we're both still in the prime of our lives."

She began to sit up, "you're twenty one, and I'm nineteen. So what should we do?"

Alex thought on this, she was right after all. It didn't feel right for two people like them to have it all together right now. He also found the prospect of everything running smoothly for them for the rest of their lives unbearably _boring._

Trisha suddenly thought, "What if you went back to school?"

Alex pulled a face and she sighed, "No, no not public school or anything like that. But there's a way to go to school without being in an actual school." She explained "A tutor or something."

Alex thought on it. He never really paid attention in school, and he surely didn't enjoy it, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy learning. It was human nature to want to learn new things.

"It's an interesting prospect" he admitted.

"Of course…" she smiled a little bit, "Then again the best education can come from experience, and maybe it couldn't hurt to travel a bit."

This got Alex's attention, "Oh? Where to?"

"Hmmm, I was thinking…Germany" Trisha suggested

"The birthplace of our dear friend Ludwig Van?" Alexander eyed her knowingly.

"Is it?" Trisha smirked, "I had no idea. How interesting."

Alexander grinned and kissed her before standing up.

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"One last hurrah Love. I'll be back late so don't wait up" He informed her as he pulled on his shirt and trousers, "Unless you want tag along for old times' sake."

Trisha thought a moment before picking up on it.

He was already back to his old tricks.

"Alex!" she scrambled out of the tub, "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked as he buttoned up the shirt as Trisha wrapped herself in a towel.

"Because…" she kicked away his shoe before he could put it on, "Because, you just got out of the hospital, you just made a deal with the government to keep them from looking bad, and…"

"Ah but that makes It all the better my dear." He grinned, but part of it seemed unsure.

"If I get caught there's no way they will put me away again." He pecked her cheek, "as for the other bit don't fret dear, I'll fit as can be."

Trisha was shocked, after everything that had happened had he _still_ not learnt his lesson?

"I don't believe this." She marveled. "I don't believe _you!"_

Alex paused and listened curiously, why was she so upset? Couldn't she see that now he was untouchable?

It would be foolish not to take advantage of an ideal situation.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a slight edge but she wasn't faltered.

"What's _Wrong?_ This! This is _wrong!"_ She shook her head. "Alexander you spent two year in prison, then were subjected to an experimental treatment that nearly ruined your life, you just finished healing and you're ready to put yourself back on square one?"

"It's not square one" He brushed her off, "it's just one last go."

She crossed her arm and glared at him. "Break ins, brawls, drugs, and ultra-violence? Is that all you want your life to be?"

Alex was shocked, she had never spoken to him like that. Scolding him as if he were a wayward child instead of her equal. He growled and shoved his foot in the other shoe.

"If I recall correctly just two years ago you were all too eager to be right there with me." He reminded her darkly, and stalked up to her, "So don't go acting all high and mighty with _me_ Patricia."

Patricia bit her cheek but didn't stop glaring up at him.

"I _grew up_ " she informed him coldly, "Maybe it's about time you did the same"

Alex remained silent and she continued, "We have a chance to do something with ourselves Alexander, anything we want. I love you, and I don't want you to waste this chance by falling back into old habits!"

Alex scoffed bitterly, eyeing her critically, "welly, welly, welly, welly, well." He laughed bitterly.

"Saint Patricia right? The little princess turned holy woman?" He scowled deeply, but somewhere inside his brain her words rang true.

Patricia growled and snatched up a rode that hung on the back of the bathroom door, her motions jerky and fast.

"Fine, go if you want." She muttered, "Rob a shop, fight some gang member, ravage some poor woman. I can't stop you. If throwing yourself out of a three story window didn't teach you anything, I sure as hell can't."

Alex didn't say anything as she stormed out and down the stairs in silent fury. Alex found his hand gripped the bed post with white knuckles and he growled before kicking the bed frame.

"Fuck"

He made for the stairs, and then the front door. He found her watching him from the parlor, a book in one hand and her glasses in the other as if she did indeed plan to wait up for him, all night if needed.

"I'll be back late." He repeated and she didn't reply, just opened the book and went back upstairs, the disapproving frown still etched on her face.

Alex stared at the stair case a minute and was tempted to go back up but he shook his head.

It was the middle of the night and the streets were empty. Suddenly realizing he forgot the keys to the car in the house he sighed and contented himself with walking into town.

Where did Patricia get off lecturing him like that?

As if she hadn't been right there with him before everything happened, laughing and cheering him on.

He could still imagine how she had looked that night, just after her inhibitions had fled and she applauded him fervently as he went to work on a drunken bum.

He would never forget the look in her eyes, that wild glint that glittered behind her pupils, where else had he seen that light in her?

He knew he had seen it somewhere else, outside of a night of ultra-violence.

Sex maybe, but something else to.

He remembered suddenly, laying in a hospital bed with Trisha sitting in a hard, plastic seat. A small type writer on her thighs that she went to town on, pumping out page after page of writings until she was three steps beyond tired.

But even behind those bloodshot eyes there was still a glint of exhilaration, the sparkle of adrenaline that only passion could put in them.

He had reached a familiar neighborhood now, and nostalgia hit him like a brick wall. However he realized how much had changed since he had been gone.

"Oi." A voice that stuck a familiar chord caught his attention as a sleek black London cab pulled up beside him, "need a ride, mate?"

Alex stared at the stranger's face before realizing that although a distance memory he was not a stranger at all.

"Pete?"

Pete realized who he had addressed and went ghostly pale with wide fearful eyes. "Alex?"

Alex looked around, "w-what are…what are you doing here?"

Peter shrugged and quickly locked his door and kept one hand on the wheel and one on the window pump. "Uh, Working I guess. Actually I'm off the clock but you looked a little lost but I…" he swallowed as he babbled, "I didn't realize"

Alex was annoyed by his rambling but oddly enough found he had no urge to attack, although he was imagining it.

"Alexander I uh…" Peter sputtered, "Look, I already talked to Trisha, a long time ago but." He swallowed. "I just wanted to tell you that…I'm sorry."

Alex paused. "What?"

"I'm sorry, for what we did to you, all those years ago. I uh…" Alex got closer to the car out of curiosity.

"I've really been working on turning my life around, I mean I have a job, a flat, a lovely wife." Pete confessed. "And I'm sure you've been doing the same, I mean you're out, you've got Trisha and you…"

He kept talking but Alex had stopped listening.

Little Petey, the youngest and scrawniest droogie who never said a word half the time was a man.

Married, job, home and only a year younger than Alex himself.

Alexander found himself no longer wishing to go through with his plan, instead he knew exactly what he wanted.

"So, maybe if we put the past behind us we...Alexander?" Pete eyed him and began to roll up the window slowly, Alex had an unreadable look on his face and his eyes seemed to peer right through him.

"Anyway… I just hope that someday you'll be able to forgive me and uh…"

"Pete, do you remember the way to Trisha's domy."

Pete cut off and paused, "Uh, yeah. Yeah sure why?"

"I'll explain in a minute, but I really, really need your help here."

Pete was conflicted, on the one hand he knew Alex to be a violent, ruthless sociopath.

However he also felt he owed Alex _something_.

"Do you have any weapons on you?"

"I-wha…no" Alex blinked.

"Prove it."

Alex rolled his eyes and patted down his pockets while muttering.

"Unless I manage to vred you with a set of klootches, or a wallet. I think you're safe"

"Okay get in" Pete unlocked the doors and Alex thanked him.

Ten minutes later Alex briefly explained the situation and Pete pulled to the Trisha's house.

"Good luck"

Alex nodded and slipped out of the cab, "Thanks for the ride droogie" Alex smiled and Pete nodded back in understanding.

"So, at the risk of coming across a bolshy sod, I don't supposed you'd be willing to get a pint with me some time. I mean I understand completely if…"

"Uh" Alex glanced at the front door behind him, "If I live through this, then we'll see"

"Right right." Pete nodded. "Good luck"

Alex thanked him one last time and watched him drive off before making for the door.

The lights were all out but Alex knew she would be upstairs.

Summoning his courage he marched up the stairs and reached the bedroom door. His hand paused before he reached the door handle and he swallowed.

Alex opened the door hesitantly and found the room dark, but from the light in the window he could place the outline of Trisha's body laying with her back facing him.

Alex closed the door softly and slipped off his shoes and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Alex?"

He froze as she began to roll over half awake.

Here it comes. He thought and prepared himself for the sort of fight they would have when they first started out.

Screaming matches were the most common.

"What time is it?"

Alex realized she was still mostly asleep and glanced at the alarm clock on the side table.

"It's one in the morning, get some spatchka love."

Trisha hummed and thought in a foggy haze, "It's only been a half an hour"

"I know"

"Did you…"

"No, now go back to sleep."

Trisha smiled and pulled back to covers on the other side of the bed. "Come to bed Alexander."

Alex complied and slipped between the sheets, pressing his chest to her back as he draped his arm over her.

"Alexander?"

"Hm?"

"I'm very very proud of you."


	13. Epilogue

**_Fifteen Years Later_**

"Alexander we're going to be _late!_ And you know how I…"

"Hate tardiness, I know, _I know."_

Alex entered the room and eyed his wife, "Some things never change"

"If you know that way are we _late?"_ Trisha asked loudly as she rushed down the stair cased as Alexander leaned on the door frame of the bed room, one leg crossed over the other with a cigar gripped in his hand.

"We're not late, we have an hour. You're paranoid, that's all."

Time had changed them both, for the better hopefully.

Alex had mostly grown out of his violent habits though all things violent and savage held a fascination for him. He fell out of his teenage speech patterns, though he did revert back to the from time to time, and he had carved a good niche out for himself working in the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, more specifically in the British Library Sound Archives on a salary well above average.

He still looked like he had before, except for shorter hair, but the air he gave of was slightly different now. More mature and settled.

And after much prodding and insisting from his wife, he eventually did get back on speaking terms with his parents after Trisha put them up in a better part of town so she would feel that they were safer.

Patricia had moved up in her work, since She and Alex had spent years traveling all over the globe she had taken the opportunity to write a travel column instead of an advice column and it was much better received by the public. She also worked alongside investigative journalist to write articles about serious subjects such as rampant poverty, Police corruption, and her favorite subject, Juvenile Delinquency.

She too hadn't changed much by way of image over the years, though fuller from motherhood perhaps. Her hair no longer fell down her back in girlish brown curls but instead stopped at her shoulder and fell straight and dark. She still had her cold moments, mostly at work but she had learned to reign it in and come across at least semi-personable.

They had one child, a son named Julian who had his mother's face but his father's blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a wild streak ten miles wide.

"Louise! Are the bags in the car?" Trisha called for the house keeper, a middle aged woman with a stern face.

"Yes ma'am"

"And Julian is at his grandparents?"

"Yes ma'am"

"All the windows are locked, upstairs and down?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Wonderful! Alex!" Trisha looked around, "Alexand…Oh." She blushed sheepishly as he leaned on the front door.

"Darling we're only going to be gone for four days." He reminded her as He started the car and she ran over the list in her head.

"I know but…" she pouted, "I wish we could have brought Julian with us to Holland, He would have loved it."

"Trisha, darling. He's five. He wouldn't have remembered it." Alex pointed out and she shrugged.

As they went along they drove past the old neighborhood. And for a moment they slowed down on the empty road, only slightly, before driving through along the Thames.

"Do you still think about it?" she asked him quietly and his kept his eyes on the road before them.

"Sometimes, for a moment or two. You?"

Trisha looked out the window before closing her eyes and leaning back.

"Not one little bit."


End file.
